Chapter I · Śloka 47
Sañjaya uvāca
तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत |
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः ||
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः ||
tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasann iva bhārata |
senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṃ vacaḥ ||
senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṃ vacaḥ ||
To him thus overwhelmed with pity, his eyes full of tears, despairing, Krishna, the master of the senses, spoke these words in the midst of the two armies.
The chapter closes with a smile — prahasann iva, 'as if smiling' — the most quietly powerful detail in the entire chapter. Faced with the complete breakdown of his greatest devotee, Krishna does not despair. He smiles, and begins to teach.