arjuna uvÄca
kathaṠbhīṣmam ahaṠsaṅkhye
droṇaṠca madhusūdana
iá¹£ubhiḥ pratiyotsyÄmi
pÅ«jÄrhÄv ari-sÅ«dana
arjunaḥ uvÄca - Arjuna said; katham - how; bhÄ«á¹£mam - BhÄ«á¹£ma; aham - I; saá¹…khye - in the fight; droṇam - Droṇa; ca - also; madhu-sÅ«dana - O killer of Madhu; iá¹£ubhiḥ - with arrows; pratiyotsyÄmi - shall counterattack; pÅ«jÄ-arhau - those who are worshipable; ari-sÅ«dana - O killer of the enemies.
Respectable superiors like BhÄ«á¹£ma the grandfather and DroṇÄcÄrya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal ï¬ght. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Kṛṣṇa ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, SÄndÄ«pani Muni? These were some of the arguments offered by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa.