Verse 2.4

कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।

इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥

2.4

Transliteration

kathaṃ bhīṣmamahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana |

iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Arjuna said How, O Madhusudana, shall I fight in battle with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are fit to be worshipped, O destroyer of enemies?

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

how
Bhishma
I
in battle
Drona
and
O Madhusudana

with arrows
shall I fight against
both worthy of worship
O slayer of enemies

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Arjuna answers the rebuke with a concrete objection. Bhishma, his grandsire, and Drona, his teacher in arms, are on the opposing side, and both deserve worship rather than arrows. Arjuna addresses Krishna twice as slayer, Madhusudana and Arisudana, perhaps pointing out the irony that Krishna's own victories were over demons, while Arjuna is being asked to strike his elders. The verse shows that his hesitation is not simple fear. It comes from a genuine clash between his duty as a fighter and the reverence owed to family and teachers.