Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 4

 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 4

 

अर्जुन उवाच |

कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन |
इषुभि: प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन || 4|| 

arjuna uvacha
katham bhishmam aham sankhye dronam cha madhusudana
ishubhih pratiyotsyami pujarhavari-sudana

Translation in English

arjunaḥ uvācha—Arjun said
katham—how
bhīṣhmam—Bheeshma 
aham—I
sankhye—in battle 
droṇam—Dronacharya 
cha—and
madhu-sūdana—Shree Krishn, slayer of the Madhu demon 
iṣhubhiḥ—with arrows
pratiyotsyāmi—shall I shoot 
pūjā-arhau—worthy of worship 
ari-sūdana—destroyer of enemies 

Arjun said: O Madhusudan, how can I shoot arrows in battle on men like Bheeshma and Dronacharya, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies? 

Translation in Hindi

कथं = किस प्रकार

भीष्मम् = भीष्मपितामह

अहम् = मैं

सङ्ख्ये = रणभूमिमें

द्रोणं = द्रोणाचार्यके

च = और

इषुभि: = बाणोंसे

प्रतियोत्स्यामि = विरुद्ध लडूँगा

पूजार्हावरिसूदन (पूजा-अर्हौ+अरि-सूदन) =

पूजा-अर्हौ = पूजनीय

अरि-सूदन = शत्रुओं का नाश करने वाला

अर्जुन बोले- हे मधुसूदन! मैं रणभूमि में किस प्रकार बाणों से भीष्म पितामह और द्रोणाचार्य के विरुद्ध लड़ूँगा? क्योंकि हे अरिसूदन! वे दोनों ही पूजनीय हैं॥4॥

Commentary

In response to Shree Krishna’s call for action, Arjun presents his confusion.  He states that Bheeshma and Dronacharya are worthy of his respect and adoration.  Bheeshma was the embodiment of chastity, and remained a lifelong celibate to fulfill the vow he had made to his father.  Arjun’s military preceptor, Dronacharya, was a genius in the science of warfare, and it was from him that Arjun mastered the art of archery.  Kripacharya was another respectable person on the other side, whom Arjun had always held in veneration.  To treat these men of high merit as enemies now seemed abominable to the noble-minded Arjun.  If even arguing with these venerable elders was improper, then how could he ever think of attacking them with weapons?  His statement thus implies, “O Krishna, please do not doubt my courage.  I am prepared to fight.  But from the perspective of moral duty, my duty is to respect my teachers and to show compassion to the sons of Dhritarashtra.”