Krishna's guidance · Bhagavad Gita
Feel Like Giving Up? Krishna's Sharpest Words to Arjuna
The short answer
When Arjuna dropped his bow and said he could not go on, Krishna's very first response was not gentle comfort — it was a firm wake-up: 'Do not give in to this weakness. It does not become you. Shake off this small-heartedness and stand up.' Sometimes what a sinking heart needs is not more sympathy but a reminder of its own strength. Krishna believed in Arjuna's capacity more than Arjuna did in that moment. The exhaustion is real — and so is the strength underneath it, waiting to be called back.
Bhagavad Gita 2.3
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते। क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप॥
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate, kṣudraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa
Do not yield to this weakness, Arjuna — it does not suit you. Cast off this small faintness of heart and arise, O conqueror of foes.
Ise apne liye samjhein
Krishna se seedha baat karein — free
Yeh gyan general hai. Apni asli situation batayein aur Krishna se apni bhaasha mein baat karein — jitne sawaal chahein.
Krishna se baat karein →Turant · free · Hindi/English
What this means for you
Krishna calls it 'kshudram hridaya-daurbalyam' — a small weakness of heart — not because your pain is small, but because it is smaller than you are. Giving up feels final in the moment; it is usually just the heart tired at a hard point. Rest if you must. But do not decide your whole life's direction from the lowest hour. Stand up — 'uttishtha' — even slowly.
Frequently asked
What did Krishna say when Arjuna wanted to give up?
Krishna's first words (Gita 2.3) were firm: 'Do not yield to this weakness — it does not suit you. Cast off this faint-heartedness and arise.' He met Arjuna's collapse by reminding him of a strength Arjuna had forgotten he possessed.
How does the Bhagavad Gita help when you feel like quitting?
The Gita treats the urge to quit as a passing weakness of heart, not your true nature. Krishna combines the firm 'arise' of 2.3 with the deeper teaching that acting from duty, without attachment to results, restores steadiness and purpose.