|| 1.28 ||

अर्जुन उवाच कृपया परयाऽऽविष्टो विषीदन्निदमब्रवीत्। दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम्।।

dṛṣṭvemaṁ sva-janaṁ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati

dṛṣṭvā (after seeing) imam (this) sva-janam (kinsmen) kṛṣṇa (O Kṛṣṇa) yuyutsum (eager to fight) samupasthitam (present before me) sīdanti (are quivering) mama (my) gātrāṇi (limbs) mukham (mouth) ca (also) pariśuṣyati (is drying up)

Arjuna said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

Arjuna now speaks, describing the physical symptoms of his internal crisis. He tells Kṛṣṇa that seeing his own kinsmen gathered and eager to fight makes his limbs quiver and his mouth go dry. These are the classic signs of extreme stress and a psychological breakdown. The word ‘sva-janam’ is key; he sees them as his own, identifying deeply with the bodily relationship. This attachment clouds his judgment. The great warrior who could once fight Lord Śiva is now paralyzed, not by the enemy’s strength, but by the horror of the act he must perform. He is experiencing a visceral reaction to the conflict between his social duty to his family and his professional duty as a warrior. This physical manifestation of grief shows how deeply his mind is intertwined with material designations.