Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 45

Chapter 1 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम् ।
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ॥

Transliteration

aho bata mahatpāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam .
yadrājyasukhalobhena hantuṃ svajanamudyatāḥ ॥

Meaning

Alas! What a great sin we have resolved to commit, ready as we are to kill our own kinsmen out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdom!

Word meanings

अहो – oh! (an exclamation of wonder and pain)
बत – alas
महत् – great
पापम् – sin
कर्तुम् – to commit
व्यवसिताः – resolved, determined
वयम् – we
यत् – in that
राज्यसुखलोभेन – out of greed for kingdom and pleasure
हन्तुम् – to kill
स्वजनम् – our own people
उद्यताः – ready, prepared

Anvaya (word order)

अहो बत, वयं महत् पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिताः, यत् राज्यसुखलोभेन स्वजनं हन्तुम् उद्यताः ।

Explanation

Having completed his chain of arguments, Arjuna lets out a deep sigh: aho bata! These two words express wonder, regret and remorse together. He feels as though he has stepped back from the edge of a terrible mistake.

An important shift deserves notice here. In verse 38 Arjuna called the Kauravas lobhopahatachetasah, 'their minds struck down by greed'. Now he charges himself and his brothers with the same fault: rajyasukhalobhena, out of greed for kingdom and pleasure we too are set on killing our kin. Arjuna has begun to see his own purpose as tainted.

But this self-accusation is unjust. The Pandavas were fighting not out of greed for a kingdom but for their rightful claim and the restoration of dharma. They had kept their word by completing twelve years of exile and one year in disguise, yet their kingdom was not returned. Even when they asked for only five villages, Duryodhana refused. In such circumstances war is not 'greed' but the demand of justice.

This is the nature of delusion: it makes a person see fault in his own rightful duty. When grief deepens, one begins to blame oneself even where there is no fault. Arjuna's self-reproach shows the tenderness of his heart, but also the confusion of his intellect.

Context

After listing the evils of destroying the family in verses 38-44, Arjuna here expresses remorse. In the next verse he announces his final decision: it would be better for him to die unarmed.

Life lesson

Struggling for justice is not greed; the two must be distinguished. When the mind is sunk in grief it begins to make even rightful actions look wrong; at such times, seek wise counsel before passing judgement on yourself.

Key terms

Aho bata: an exclamation of deep wonder and regret
Vyavasita: firmly resolved
Rajyasukhalobha: greed for kingdom and pleasure