Arjuna's Dilemma
Verse 1.37
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान्। स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव।।1.37।।
tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣhṭrān sa-bāndhavān sva-janaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava
Word Meanings
tasmāt—hence; na—never; arhāḥ—behoove; vayam—we; hantum—to kill; dhārtarāṣhṭrān—the sons of Dhritarashtra; sva-bāndhavān—along with friends; sva-janam—kinsmen; hi—certainly; katham—how; hatvā—by killing; sukhinaḥ—happy; syāma—will we become; mādhava—Shree Krishna, the husband of Yogmaya
Translation · English
Therefore, we should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for how can we be happy by killing our own kin, O Madhava (Krishna)?
Deep Meaning · English
In this moment, Arjuna undergoes a profound collapse of his social and moral identity. By addressing Krishna as 'Madhava'—the Lord of Fortune—he highlights a tragic irony: he seeks to secure his kingdom (fortune) by destroying the very people who give that fortune meaning. Arjuna is wrestling with the dissonance between the Kshatriya duty of justice and the human yearning for non-violence, essentially questioning whether a victory achieved through the shedding of kindred blood can ever be truly 'prosperous.' His confusion stems from identifying his own happiness with the preservation of familial structures, failing to realize that the 'Sva-jana' (kin) he seeks to save are already bound by the inexorable threads of Karma and time. This verse serves as the foundation for the entire Gita; it is the point where human sorrow meets divine instruction. Krishna will eventually guide Arjuna to transcend this limited, attachment-based morality and align himself with the eternal Dharma, which exists far beyond the temporary definitions of friend, foe, or family. Arjuna's dilemma is the universal human struggle: the fear that right action might require the sacrifice of everything we hold dear in the material world.
True happiness cannot be anchored in the destruction of the soul’s reflection in others, as the ego's definition of 'family' is merely a temporary veil cast over the eternal unity of all beings.
Connected Verses
This concluding instruction provides the ultimate answer to Arjuna's dilemma, shifting the focus from worldly outcomes to total surrender to the Divine.
This verse bridges the gap between Arjuna's current vision of 'kinsmen' and the ultimate vision of the yogi, who sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.
Krishna begins his teaching by pointing out that the wise grieve for neither the living nor the dead, directly addressing Arjuna's emotional paralysis.
Krishna urges Arjuna to rise above the three modes of material nature, which are the root cause of his attachment to results like 'happiness' or 'victory'.
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