Bhagavad Gita 2.4
Spoken by Arjuna · Verse 4 of 72 · Arjuna's Journey
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं संख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन। इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन॥
arjuna uvāca / kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṃkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana / iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana
How do you raise a weapon against the teacher who made you?
Word by word (5)
- katham bhīṣmam aham
- — how can I against Bhishma, how can I attack...
- droṇam ca madhusūdana
- — ...and Drona, O Madhusudana · Two specific names — not 'enemies' but two specific people: Bhishma, Arjuna's great-uncle and one of the greatest warriors alive; Drona, Arjuna's teacher who taught him everything he knows about warfare. The specificity matters.
- iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi
- — fight with arrows against / attack with arrows
- pūjārhāu
- — worthy of worship / deserving of reverence · 'Pūjārhau' — dual form: 'these two who deserve to be worshipped.' Arjuna's duty to honor his teacher and elder is a real dharmic obligation, not just sentiment.
- arisūdana
- — O Arisudana — slayer of enemies (addressing Krishna)
Arjuna said: 'O Madhusudana — how can I fight against Bhishma and Drona in battle, O slayer of enemies? They are worthy of worship. How can I shoot arrows at them?'
A modern analogy
A student asked to argue against their mentor in a court case. A doctor asked to treat a patient who is their parent. Bhishma is Arjuna's great-uncle — a man of extraordinary honor. Drona gave Arjuna every skill he has as a warrior. The argument is specific: these two people have a claim on Arjuna's reverence that feels incompatible with facing them as opponents.
Take with you
- Arjuna names the specific people (Bhishma, Drona) — the conflict is not abstract but deeply personal.
- 'Pūjārhāu' — worthy of worship. Arjuna's reverence for his teacher is a dharmic obligation, not mere sentiment.
- Krishna challenged him to cast off his weakness of heart and rise. Arjuna responds not with submission but with a specific counter-question. The dialogue is genuine.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how shall I fight with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of worship, O destroyer of enemies? [4]
Arjuna: How shall I in the battle shoot with shafts On Bhishma, or on Drona — O thou Chief — Both worshipful, both honorable men? [7]
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how shall I fight with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of reverence, O destroyer of enemies? [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
The people who shaped him — teachers, father-figures, sons — are on the field, ready to die.
Approach the teacher with prostration, inquiry, and service. The knowers of truth will instruct you in jñāna.
Krishna says: 'Look.' Two words that will change everything.
He looked — and saw everyone he has ever loved, lined up to kill or be killed.
Even the fathers-in-law and dearest friends — on both sides. No one is safely 'other.'
I would rather be killed than kill them — a statement of love that goes beyond self-preservation.
Verse 4 of 72 · back to Chapter 2