Chapter 2/Verse 2.11
श्रीभगवानुवाच।
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे।
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
wisdomgriefsoulintroduction

Word Meanings

aśocyān—not worthy of grief;
anvaśocaḥ—lamenting;
prajñā-vādān—learned words;
btāṣase—you speak;
paṇḍitāḥ—the wise

Translations

Literal

The Supreme Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.

Interpretative

Krishna begins his teaching by pointing out Arjuna's intellectual hypocrisy: he talks like a sage but grieves like a fool. The truly wise understand the eternal nature of life and do not grieve for temporary forms.

Modern

You're trying to sound smart, but you're crying over things that don't matter in the long run. If you really understood how life works, you'd know that nothing truly dies, so there's no reason to be paralyzed by grief.

Multi-Layer Explanation

Philosophical Depth

This is the start of the 'Sankhya Yoga'—the analytical path to understanding the distinction between the eternal Soul (Atman) and the temporary Body.

Traditional Commentary

Shankaracharya emphasizes that grief is born of ignorance (Avidya) and can only be removed by Knowledge (Jnana).

Contextual Setting

Arjuna has just surrendered to Krishna, and these are Krishna's first words of instruction.

Life Application

Check your 'learned words' against your emotional reactions. Are you practicing what you know to be true?