Shloka 1
संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! अर्जुनकी यह बात सुनकर वहाँ बैठे हुए सब महारथी मौन रह गये। उनसे प्रिय या अप्रिय कुछ नहीं बोले
sañjaya uvāca—mahārāja! arjunasya etad vacanaṃ śrutvā tatra niṣaṇṇāḥ sarve mahārathāḥ tūṣṇīṃ babhūvuḥ; te tasya priyaṃ vā apriyaṃ vā kiñcid api na ūcuḥ.
Sanjaya said: “O great king, on hearing Arjuna’s words, all the great chariot-warriors seated there fell silent. They spoke nothing to him—neither what would please nor what would displease—revealing the moral weight of the moment and the restraint demanded amid the turmoil of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint: when a situation is morally charged and consequences are grave, even the mighty may choose silence rather than speak words that would either flatter or wound—signaling prudence, accountability, and the weight of dharma in wartime counsel.
After Arjuna speaks, the assembled great warriors react not with immediate debate but with silence. Their refusal to respond—neither approving nor condemning—shows the tension and uncertainty in the camp as they process the implications of Arjuna’s statement.