Chapter 2, Verse 4
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥२-४॥
arjuna uvāca kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana | iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||2-4||
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies?
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna raises what appears to be a moral objection but is fundamentally a confusion of roles. Bhishma and Drona are indeed revered elders and teachers — in the domestic sphere, they are worthy of worship. But Arjuna is conflating the personal, relational dimension of his life with his dharmic role as a warrior-prince. This is a subtle but critical error that Krishna will spend the next several chapters untangling.
The use of the word 'pūjārhau' — worthy of worship — reveals that Arjuna's values are not wrong in themselves. Reverence for teachers and elders is a cornerstone of dharma. The problem is the failure to recognize that different contexts call for different expressions of dharma. A soldier who refuses to fight because the enemy general is his uncle confuses private loyalty with public duty.
Modern professionals face versions of this dilemma constantly: the manager who cannot give critical feedback to a beloved mentor, the lawyer who cannot advocate against a family friend. Krishna's teaching is not that love and reverence are wrong, but that they must be held within right understanding of role and context. Dharma is always contextual, and wisdom lies in knowing which duty governs in a given moment.
💡 Key Takeaway
Distinguish between personal reverence and contextual duty — honoring someone does not always mean deferring to them.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् । अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥२-२॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam | anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna ||2-2||
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you at this critical moment? This is not befitting a man who knows what is valuable in life. It does not lead to higher planets but to infamy.
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥२-३॥
klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||2-3||
Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha. It does not befit you. Shake off this faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies.
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥२-५॥
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktum bhaikṣyam apīha loke | hatvārtha-kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān ||2-5||
It would be better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great-souled teachers. Even if they desire worldly gain, they are still my gurus, and if I kill them, every enjoyment here will be stained with their blood.