Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Chapter 1: Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1.45
dhartarashtra rane hanyus
SYNONYMS
yadi -- even if; mam -- me; apratikaram -- without being resistant; asastram -- without being fully equipped; sastra-panayah -- those with weapons in hand; dhartarashtrah -- the sons of Dhritarashtra; rane -- on the battlefield; hanyuh -- may kill; tat -- that; me -- for me; kshema-taram -- better; bhavet -- would be.
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.
Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness