Fighting the ones who raised you

kathaṃ bhīṣmamahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdanaiṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana

Krishna, how can I shoot arrows at Bhishma and Drona in battle? They deserve my worship, not my weapons.

What it means

Arjuna's question isn't cowardice. It's love and reverence colliding with duty. Bhishma is his grandsire, Drona his teacher. Respect for elders runs deep in Hindu tradition, and Arjuna feels it in his bones. He cannot picture turning his arrows on the very people who formed him.

The story

Bhishma once let the child Arjuna climb onto his lap. Drona taught him archery and called him his finest student. Now both stand in the opposing army, bound by their own oaths. Arjuna looks across the field and sees not enemies, but his childhood.

In your life

You discover that the mentor who trained you has been cutting corners on safety. Reporting it feels like betrayal. Write down what you owe them, and what you owe everyone else. Then talk to someone you trust.