(1.21-23)
senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me’cyuta ||
yāvad etān nirīkṣe’haṁ yoddhukāmān avasthitān |
kair mayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇasamudyame ||
yotsyamānān avekṣe’haṁ ya ete’tra samāgatāḥ |
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher yuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ ||
śrīdharaḥ :  tad eva vākyam āha—senayor ubhayor ity-ādi | yāvad etān iti | nanu tvaṁ yoddhā na tu yuddha-prekṣakaḥ ? tatrāha—kair mayety-ādi | kaiḥ saha mayā yoddhavyam ? yotsyamānān iti |  dhārtarāṣṭrasya duryodhanasya priyaṁ kartum icchanto ye iha samāgatāḥ,  tān ahaṁ drakṣyāmi yāvat, tāvad ubhayoḥ senayor madhye me rathaṁ sthāpaya ity anvayaḥ ||21-23||
madhusūdanaḥ : tad evārjuna-vākyam avatārayati—senayor ubhayoḥ sva-pakṣa-pratipakṣa-bhūtayoḥ saṁnihitayor madhye mama rathaṁ sthāpaya sthirīkurv iti sarveśvaro niyujyate’rjunena | kiṁ hi bhaktānām aśakyaṁ yad bhagavān api tan-niyogam anutiṣṭhatīti dhruvo jayaḥ pāṇḍavānām iti | 
nanv evaṁ rathaṁ sthāpayantaṁ mām ete śatravo rathāc cyāvayiṣyantīti bhagavad-āśaṅkām āśaṅkyāha—acyuta iti | deśa-kāla-vastuṣv acyutaṁ tvāṁ ko vā cyāvayitum arhatīti bhāvaḥ | etena sarvadā nirvikāratvena niyoga-nimittaḥ kopo’pi parihṛtaḥ ||21||
madhye ratha-sthāpana-prayojanam āha—yoddhu-kāmān, na tv asmābhiḥ saha sandhi-kāmān | avasthitān, na tu bhayāt pracalitān etān bhīṣma-droṇādīn yāvad gatvā ahaṁ nirīkṣituṁ kṣamaḥ syāṁ, tāvat pradeśe rathaṁ sthāpayety arthaḥ | yāvad iti kāla-paraṁ vā | 
nanu tvaṁ yoddhā, na tu yuddha-prekṣako’tas tava kim eṣāṁ darśanena ? ity atrāha—kair iti | asmin raṇa-samudyame bandhūnām eva parasparaṁ yuddhodyoge mayā kaiḥ saha yoddhavyaṁ mat-kartṛka-yuddha-pratiyoginaḥ ke ? kair mayā saha yoddhavyaṁ ? kiṁ-kartṛka-yuddha-pratiyogy aham iti ca mahad idaṁ kautukam etaj jñānam eva madhye ratha-sthāpana-prayojanam ity arthaḥ ||22||
nanu bandhava eva ete parasparaṁ sandhiṁ kārayiṣyantīti kuto yuddham ? ity āśaṅkyāha—ya ete bhīṣma-droṇādayo dhārtarāṣṭrasya duryodhanasya durbuddheḥ sva-rakṣaṇopāyam ajānataḥ priya-cikīrṣavo yuddhe, na tu durbuddhy-apanayanādau | tān yotsyamānān aham avekṣe upalabhe, na tu sandhi-kāmān | ato yuddhāya tat-pratiyogy-avalokanam ucitam eveti bhāvaḥ ||23||
viśvanāthaḥ : na vyākhyātam.
baladevaḥ : arjuna-vākyam āha—senayor iti | he acyuta iti | svabhāva-siddhād bhakta-vātsalyāt pāramaiśvaryāc ca na cyavase sma, iti tena tena ca niyantrito bhaktasya me vākyāt tatra rathaṁ sthitaṁ kuru nirbhaya | tatra ratha-sthāpane phalam āha—yāvad iti | yoddhu-kāmān,  na tu sahāsmābhiḥ sandhiṁ cikīrṣūn | avasthitān,  na tu bhītyā pracalitān | 
nanu tvaṁ yoddhā, na tu yuddha-prekṣakaḥ tatas tad-darśanena kim ? iti cet, tatrāha—kair iti | asmin bandhūnām eva mitho raṇodyoge kair bandhubhiḥ saha mama yuddhaṁ bhāvīty etaj-jñānāyaiva madhye ratha-sthāpanam iti | 
nanu bandhutvād ete sandhim eva vidhātsyanti ? iti cet, tatrāha—yotsyamānān iti,  na tu sandhiṁ vidhāsyataḥ | avekṣe pratyemi | durbuddheḥ kudhiyaḥ svajīvanopāyānabhijñasya yuddhe,  na tu durbuddhy-apanayane | ato mad-yuddha-pratiyogi-nirīkṣaṇaṁ yuktam iti ||21-23||