Shloka 38
Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतस: । कुलक्षयकृतं दोष॑ं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्
yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ | kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam ||
Ainda que estes homens, com a mente obscurecida pela cobiça, não percebam a falta que nasce da destruição da linhagem, nem o pecado de trair amigos e parentes, por que nós—que compreendemos o mal gerado por tal ruína—não haveríamos de refletir e recuar deste erro, ó Janārdana?
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna argues that ethical clarity should restrain action: even if others, blinded by greed, ignore the moral consequences of destroying a lineage and betraying close relations, those who understand these consequences have a duty to refrain from such sin.
On the battlefield, Arjuna addresses Krishna (Janārdana), continuing his refusal to fight by emphasizing the social and moral catastrophe (kulakṣaya) and the grave wrongdoing of turning against one’s own allies and kin.