Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra
TEXT 44:
aho bata mahat papam
kartum vyavasita vayam
yad rajya-sukha-lobhena
hantum sva-janam udyatah
TRANSLATION:
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen.
PURPORT:
Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the killing of one's own brother, father or mother. There are many such instances in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such activities.
TEXT 45:
yadi mam apratikaram
asastram sastra-panayah
dhartarashtra rane hanyus
tan me kshemataram bhavet
TRANSLATION:
Better for me if the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield.
PURPORT:
It is the custom—according to kshatriya fighting principles—that an unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, decided that even if attacked by the enemy in such an awkward position, he would not fight. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting. All these symptoms are due to soft-heartedness resulting from his being a great devotee of the Lord.
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Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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