Sanskrit
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन । पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ
Translation
Slaying these sons of Dhritarâshtra, what pleasure can be ours, O Janârdana? Killing these desperadoes, sin will but take hold of us.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A notable concession buried in this verse: Arjuna calls the Kauravas “ātatāyinaḥ” — desperate criminals, effectively aggressors — and still concludes that killing them yields only sin, not satisfaction. He isn’t arguing they’re innocent; he’s arguing that even guilt on their side doesn’t make killing them right on his.
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Word by word
- nihatyaनिहत्य
- by killing
- dhārtarāṣṭrānधार्तराष्ट्रान्
- Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons
- naḥनः
- for us
- kā prītiḥ syājका प्रीतिः स्याज्
- what joy could there be
- janārdanaजनार्दन
- O Janārdana
- pāpam evāśrayed asmānपापं एवाश्रयेद् अस्मान्
- sin alone would cling to us
- hatvaitānहत्वैतान्
- having killed these
- ātatāyinaḥआततायिनः
- aggressors
Commentary
Site Commentary
Nobody has yet argued that the Kauravas’ aggression justifies killing them — Arjuna raises that justification himself, then rejects it, arguing against a position no one in the scene has actually made. He’s debating the strongest counterargument to his own view before anyone gets the chance to offer it.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- When you're wrestling with a hard decision, try stating the strongest argument against your own position before anyone else raises it — arguing against your own best counterpoint, the way this verse does, tests your conviction more honestly than avoiding it would.
Professional
- Before presenting a recommendation, address the strongest objection to it yourself, even if no one has raised it yet — it shows you've actually stress-tested your position rather than just defended it.
Family & Social
- When you're explaining a hard family decision, naming the best argument against your own choice before someone else does can make your reasoning land as more honest, not more doubtful.
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