Shloka 16
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
कि नु कृत्वा हित॑ मे स्याद् ब्रूहि माधव माचिरम् | मध्यस्थमिव पश्यामि समरे सव्यसाचिनम्
ki nu kṛtvā hitaṁ me syād brūhi mādhava mā ciram | madhyastham iva paśyāmi samare savyasācinam ||
Sañjaya thưa: “Hỡi Mādhava, xin nói mau—ta phải làm gì để giữ vững lợi ích của ta? Bởi trong trận này, ta thấy Arjuna, người thiện xạ dùng được cả hai tay, như đứng ở giữa—lạnh lùng, dửng dưng, không hành động.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a moment of moral and strategic uncertainty, the verse highlights the urgency of seeking right counsel (from Mādhava/Kṛṣṇa) to determine what course of action truly serves one’s welfare (hita), especially when a key agent of dharma and action (Arjuna) appears detached.
Sanjaya reports a crisis: he perceives Arjuna in the battlefield as if neutral or inactive, and therefore appeals to Mādhava to speak without delay about what should be done to secure the proper outcome.