अर्जुन उवाच ।कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन ।इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥
arjuna uvāca |kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana |iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||
- अर्जुन · arjuna
- Arjuna
- उवाच · uvāca
- said
- कथम् · katham
- how
- भीष्मम् · bhīṣmam
- Bhishma
- अहम् · aham
- I
- सङ्ख्ये · saṅkhye
- in battle
- द्रोणम् · droṇam
- Drona
- च · ca
- and
- मधुसूदन · madhusūdana
- O Madhusudana (Krishna)
- इषुभिः · iṣubhiḥ
- with arrows
- प्रतियोत्स्यामि · pratiyotsyāmi
- shall I fight against
- पूजार्हौ · pūjārhau
- worthy of worship (the two)
- अरिसूदन · arisūdana
- O destroyer of foes (Krishna)
“Arjuna said: How shall I strike Bhishma and Drona with arrows in battle, O Madhusudana — men worthy of worship, O destroyer of foes?”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna answers rebuke with reverence: his objection is not fear but worship. Bhishma and Drona are pūjārhau — and he pointedly calls Krishna 'destroyer of foes' while refusing to destroy his own. The moral deadlock is stated at its sharpest.
— Reader's notes (original)