TEXT 4
arjuna uvāca
kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye
droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi
pūjārhāv ari-sūdana
arjunaḥ uvāca: Arjuna dit; katham: comment; bhīṣmam: Bhīṣma; aham: je; saṅkhye: au cours du combat; droṇam: Droṇa; ca: aussi; madhu-sūdana: Toi qui tuas Madhu; iṣubhiḥ: avec des flèches; pratiyotsyāmi: contre-attaquerais; pūjā-arhau: ceux qui sont dignes de vénération; ari-sūdana: ô vainqueur des ennemis.
Arjuna dit: Ô Toi qui toujours triomphes de l’ennemi, Toi qui tuas le démon Madhu, comment pourrais-je, au cours de la bataille, repousser de mes flèches des hommes comme Bhīṣma et Droṇa, dignes de ma vénération ?
Respectable superiors like Bhīṣma the grandfather and Droṇācārya 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 fight. 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, Sāndīpani Muni? These were some of the arguments offered by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa.