My very nature is overcome by the flaw of faint-hearted pity, and my mind is bewildered about what is right. I ask you: tell me for certain what is truly best for me. I am your student. Instruct me, for I have come to you for refuge.
Explanation
Arjuna, overwhelmed at the thought of fighting his own kin, stops arguing and for the first time asks Krishna for guidance. He admits that weak-hearted pity (kārpaṇya) and confusion about duty or right conduct (dharma) have clouded his judgment, and he asks for what is truly best (śreyas). By calling himself a student (śiṣya) who has taken refuge, he turns the conversation into teaching; commentators differ on whether the 'pity' is a noble compassion gone astray or simply weakness, and the verse itself calls it a flaw.