Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 6

न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः | यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामः तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ||

na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaḥ te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ

We know not which is better—that we should conquer them or they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying whom we would not wish to live, stand before us.

Arjuna's paralysis peaks: he admits 'na vidmaḥ'—we don't know what's better, victory or defeat. He's trapped in a false either/or: killing his cousins makes life unbearable, yet losing to them is unthinkable. Both paths feel impossible. This honest admission—'I don't know'—is crucial. When you're stuck between two equally awful options, that's not a choice problem; it's a signal your framework is too small. Krishna won't pick between these bad options—he'll reveal a higher perspective that dissolves the dichotomy entirely.