Sanskrit
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं केशवस्य कृताञ्जलिर्वेपमानः किरीटी । नमस्कृत्वा भूय एवाह कृष्णम् सगद्गदं भीतभीतः प्रणम्य ॥
etac chrutvā vacanaṃ keśavasya kṛtāñjalir vepamānaḥ kirīṭī namaskṛtvā bhūya evāha kṛṣṇam sagadgadaṃ bhītabhītaḥ praṇamya
Translation
Having heard these words of Keshava, he who weareth a diadem, with joined palms, quaking and prostrating himself, spake again to Krishna, stammering with fear, casting down his face.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Sanjaya’s narrating voice returns, last heard at verse 14, and the framing device it re-establishes matters here: this report of trembling and stammering speech is being relayed secondhand to a king who cannot see any of it. What’s notable is the trigger — it’s not the vision itself frightening Arjuna into speech this time, it’s specifically Krishna’s words, the “kālo’smi” declaration and the command to kill that followed it. Being shown the form was overwhelming; being told plainly what it means and what it requires of him is what actually breaks his composure enough to make him “bhītabhītaḥ,” afraid and afraid again.