Respect must be held with responsibility.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
अर्जुन उवाचकथं 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||
Use this verse when respect and responsibility conflict.
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I fight with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of worship?
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna’s heart is stuck between respect and duty.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse captures the pain of acting against people we revere. Dharma becomes difficult when love, respect, and responsibility collide.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Do not use respect as a reason to avoid truth.
An employee may need to question a respected senior if the decision harms the company.
Try this today
Prepare one respectful but honest sentence for a difficult conversation.
I can honor people and still stand for dharma.Reflect
Where is respect making me avoid responsibility?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘madhusūdana’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on action, in other chapters
- Verse 3.1 · ArjunaWhen spiritual ideals seem to clash with hard duties, bring the confusion into the open rather than using it as an excuse to retreat.
- Verse 18.24Action driven by craving, ego, and exhausting strain is restless and binding, not free.
- Verse 4.13The divine creates the whole moving world yet remains untouched by it — the model for acting fully while staying inwardly free.
- Verse 8.7You need not abandon your duties to seek God; remember the Divine while you work, and your whole life becomes worship.
Swipe left for 2.5 · Gain is not worth inner contamination.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.4
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.4, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 2.4, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.4 mean?
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I fight with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of worship? (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.4 for daily life?
Do not use respect as a reason to avoid truth. An employee may need to question a respected senior if the decision harms the company.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.4 mean?
katham — how; bhīṣmam — Bhishma; aham — I; saṅkhye — in battle; droṇam — Drona.
Where does verse 2.4 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 4 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.5.