Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 10

तमुवाच हृषीकेशः प्रहसन्निव भारत | सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये विषीदन्तमिदं वचः ||

tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ prahasan niva bhārata senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṁ vacaḥ

Then Krishna, smiling as it were, O Bharata, spoke these words to the grief-stricken Arjuna standing between the two armies.

After nine verses of Arjuna's emotional breakdown, Krishna responds with a smile ('prahasan iva'). Not mockery—compassionate understanding. Standing between two armies as time runs out, Krishna pauses to smile before teaching. Why? Because he sees what Arjuna can't: this painful crisis is a doorway to awakening. The smile reveals confidence—Krishna knows he can resolve this confusion. It also shows that wisdom arrives with lightness, not heaviness. From this moment, Krishna shifts from listener to teacher. The lesson: when the student is ready, the teacher appears—often wearing a gentle smile.