Sanjaya said: To Arjuna, who was thus overcome with such cowardice, who was grieving and whose vision was obstructed by tears, Lord Madhusudana spoke these (forthcoming) words.
Commentary: 'To him who was thus overcome with compassion'—Arjuna, seated in the chariot, gives this command to the Lord, who is present as his charioteer: "O Achyuta! Place my chariot between the two armies, so that I may see who are those willing to fight with me in this war?" That is, which warriors have the courage to come forth and fight alongside a hero like me? How did they find the bravery to fight me even with death staring them in the face? The same Arjuna, who possessed such enthusiasm and valor for battle, became so grief-stricken and deluded by the fear of his relatives dying upon seeing them in both armies, that his body is becoming weak, his mouth is drying up, his body is trembling, his hair is standing on end, the bow is slipping from his hand, his skin is burning, he has lost even the strength to stand, and his mind is bewildered. On one hand, there is Arjuna's inherent nature of 'neither meekness nor flight', and on the other, here is Arjuna, afflicted by the flaw of cowardice and grief, sitting down in the middle of the chariot! With great wonder, Sanjaya is expressing this very sentiment through the aforementioned words.
Even in the twenty-eighth verse of the first chapter, Sanjaya used the words 'overcome with intense compassion' for Arjuna.
'Whose eyes were distressed and full of tears'—Even within a great hero like Arjuna, familial delusion has prevailed and tears have filled his eyes! So many tears have welled up that he cannot see properly through his eyes.
'To him who was grieving, Madhusudana spoke this speech'—To Arjuna, who was thus grieving due to cowardice, Lord Madhusudana spoke these (words to be stated in the second and third verses).
Here, simply saying 'spoke to the grieving one' could have sufficed; there was no need to say 'this speech'; because the word 'speech' is inherently included within the verb 'spoke'. Still, the purpose of using the word 'speech' is that this utterance, this discourse of the Lord, is most extraordinary. It is a direct blow against the evil of abandoning duty that had come over Arjuna under the guise of dharma. It is that which creates turmoil in Arjuna's decision to desist from battle. It is that which makes Arjuna aware of his fault and awakens within him the inquiry for his own welfare. It is by the influence of this profound discourse that Arjuna accepts discipleship to the Lord and takes refuge in Him (2.7).
The implication of Sanjaya using the word 'Madhusudana' is that Lord Shri Krishna is the slayer of the demon named Madhu, meaning He is the destroyer of those of wicked nature. Therefore, He will not rest without causing the destruction of those of wicked nature like Duryodhana and others.
Connection: Which words the Lord spoke to Arjuna—this is stated in the next two verses.
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