This shloka continues the sentence that began in the previous shloka.

In 1.20, Arjuna, the monkey-bannered Pāṇḍava, saw the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra arrayed, and raised his bow when the discharge of weapons was about to begin. Now Sanjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra what Arjuna said.

The phrase hṛṣīkeśaṁ tadā vākyam idam āha means “then he spoke these words to Hṛṣīkeśa.” Hṛṣīkeśa is Kṛṣṇa. The name means the master of the sense organs and mind. This name is significant in the chapter flow because Arjuna is now about to speak to the one who can guide the mind.

Sanjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra as mahīpate, “O king.” The narration continues to be reported to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Then the shloka says arjuna uvāca — “Arjuna said.” The actual words of Arjuna begin now.

Arjuna says, senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta — “O Acyuta, place my chariot between the two armies.” He asks Kṛṣṇa to place the chariot in the middle, between the Pāṇḍava and Kaurava armies.

The word Acyuta is a beautiful name of Kṛṣṇa. It means the one who does not fall, the unfailing one, the one who never lets the devotee down. It also has a deeper philosophical meaning: Bhagavān is ever free, never fallen into saṁsāra. When Bhagavān appears in the world, it is not a helpless birth like that of a bound jīva; it is avatāra, a descent for the upliftment of beings.

There is also a striking relational situation here. Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān, yet He is now serving as Arjuna’s charioteer. So Arjuna says, “Place my chariot.” For the time being, Arjuna is the warrior seated in the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is the driver. Yet the name Acyuta reminds us that the one holding the reins is not an ordinary charioteer. He is the unfailing Bhagavān.

The shloka itself gives only the request: “Place my chariot between the two armies.” The purpose of this request will be explained in the next shlokas. Here, Arjuna is asking to be positioned where he can properly see the two armies from the middle of the battlefield.