Shloka 45
Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तु व्यवसिता वयम् | यद् राज्यसुखलो भेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यता:,हा! शोक! हमलोग बुद्धिमान् होकर भी महान् पाप करनेको तैयार हो गये हैं, जो राज्य और सुखके लोभसे स्वजनोंको मारनेके लिये उद्यत हो गये हैं
arjuna uvāca | aho bata mahat pāpaṁ kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam | yad rājya-sukha-lobhena hantuṁ svajanam udyatāḥ ||
Arjuna said: “Alas, what a grievous sin we are resolved to commit! Driven by greed for kingdom and pleasure, we stand ready to kill our own kinsmen.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna recognizes that desire for power and enjoyment (rājya-sukha-lobha) can distort judgment and lead to adharma—here, the contemplated killing of one’s own kin. The verse foregrounds ethical self-scrutiny: even those who consider themselves wise can become determined to commit grave wrongdoing when driven by greed.
On the battlefield, just before the great war begins, Arjuna looks upon his own relatives and teachers arrayed for battle. Overwhelmed by grief and moral revulsion, he declares that proceeding to fight for the sake of kingdom and pleasure would be a great sin, since it entails killing his own people.