When the tears finally come

taṃ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭamaśrupūrṇākulekṣaṇamviṣīdantamidaṃ vākyamuvāca madhusūdanaḥ

To Arjuna, overcome with pity, eyes brimming with tears, sinking in despair, Krishna, slayer of Madhu, spoke these words.

What it means

Chapter two opens on a man in tears. Sanjaya, the narrator, doesn't hide it. The great archer Arjuna is drowning in pity and grief. Notice who is watching him. Krishna, revered in Hindu tradition as God, sees the tears first. Only then does he speak.

The story

Sanjaya is describing all this to Dhritarashtra, the blind king, far from the field. Between two vast armies, Arjuna has put down his bow. He sits slumped in the chariot. His friend and charioteer turns, looks at him, and begins.

In your life

A colleague finds you in the stairwell, eyes red, after a hard phone call. You want to say you're fine. Instead, let someone see you. Help often begins when one person really looks.