Under the BanyanOld stories, illustrated and annotated
Arjuna, his bow set down beside him, counts out his reasons to a calm Krishna while a soft memory cloud shows a family courtyard whose lamp flickers and whose family-tree vine sheds its leaves (Bhagavad Gita 1.37–40).
Arjuna, his bow set down beside him, counts out his reasons to a calm Krishna while a soft memory cloud shows a family courtyard whose lamp flickers and whose family-tree vine sheds its leaves (Bhagavad Gita 1.37–40).

Kurukshetra Companion, the Bhagavad Gita four verses at a time · Chapter 1 so far

Arjuna argues for walking away

Chapter 1, verses 37–40. About 5 minutes.

Verse 40 of 700 in the full Gita. Chapter 1: 40 of 47.

Where we are

Sañjaya is still reporting to the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra what is happening on the field. In the previous reading Arjuna named the teachers, fathers, sons and in-laws facing him and said he would not fight them even for rule over the three worlds. Now his shock turns into an argument: he starts building a moral case, point by point, for why the war is wrong and why he should step back.

The verses

  1. 1.37

    “So we have no business killing Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons; they are our own family. Mādhava, if we cut down our own people, how could we ever be happy again?”

    Text note: The BORI critical edition reads sabāndhavān, “together with their relatives”; the traditional text shown here reads svabāndhavān, “our own relatives”. Either way the point is the same: these are kin.

    Show the SanskritHide the Sanskrit for verse 1.37

    तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् ।
    स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥ ३७ ॥

    tasmān nārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ dhārtarāṣṭrān svabāndhavān
    svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava

    Say it

    tus-maan naar-haa vuh-yum hun-tum dhaar-tuh-raash-traan svuh-baan-dhuh-vaan
    svuh-juh-num hi kuh-thum hut-vaa soo-khi-nuh syaa-muh maa-dhuh-vuh

    Word by word

    tasmāt
    therefore
    na arhāḥ vayam
    it is not right for us
    hantum
    to kill
    dhārtarāṣṭrān
    Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons
    sva-bāndhavān
    our own relatives
    sva-janam
    our own people
    katham … syāma
    how could we be
    hatvā
    having killed
    sukhinaḥ
    happy
    mādhava
    O Mādhava (Krishna)
  2. 1.38

    “Their minds are so clouded by greed that they cannot see anything wrong in wiping out a family, or any sin in turning against friends.” (The thought carries straight on into the next verse.)

    Show the SanskritHide the Sanskrit for verse 1.38

    यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः ।
    कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥ ३८ ॥

    yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ
    kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam

    Say it

    yud-yup-yay-tay nuh push-yun-ti lo-bho-puh-huh-tuh-chay-tuh-suh
    koo-luh-kshuh-yuh-kri-tum do-shum mit-ruh-dro-hay chuh paa-tuh-kum

    Word by word

    yadi api
    even if
    ete
    these men
    na paśyanti
    do not see
    lobha-upahata-cetasaḥ
    their minds overpowered by greed
    kula-kṣaya-kṛtam doṣam
    the wrong of destroying a family
    mitra-drohe
    in betraying friends
    ca pātakam
    and the sin
  3. 1.39

    “But we do see how wrong it is to destroy a family. So why shouldn't we have the sense to step back from this sin, Janārdana?”

    Show the SanskritHide the Sanskrit for verse 1.39

    कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् ।
    कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥ ३९ ॥

    kathaṃ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum
    kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhir janārdana

    Say it

    kuh-thum nuh gyay-yum us-maa-bhih paa-paad us-maan ni-vur-ti-tum
    koo-luh-kshuh-yuh-kri-tum do-shum pruh-push-yud-bhir juh-naar-duh-nuh

    Word by word

    katham na jñeyam
    why should it not be understood
    asmābhiḥ
    by us
    pāpāt asmāt
    from this sin
    nivartitum
    to turn back
    kula-kṣaya-kṛtam doṣam
    the wrong of destroying a family
    prapaśyadbhiḥ
    (we) who see it clearly
    janārdana
    O Janārdana (Krishna)
  4. 1.40

    “When a family is destroyed, the traditions it has carried for generations die with it. And once those are gone, disorder takes over whatever is left of the family.”

    Show the SanskritHide the Sanskrit for verse 1.40

    कुलक्षये प्रणश्यन्ति कुलधर्माः सनातनाः ।
    धर्मे नष्टे कुलं कृत्स्नमधर्मोऽभिभवत्युत ॥ ४० ॥

    kulakṣaye praṇaśyanti kuladharmāḥ sanātanāḥ
    dharme naṣṭe kulaṃ kṛtsnam adharmo 'bhibhavaty uta

    Say it

    koo-luh-kshuh-yay pruh-nush-yun-ti koo-luh-dhur-maah suh-naa-tuh-naah
    dhur-may nush-tay koo-lum krit-snum uh-dhur-mo bhi-bhuh-vut-yoo-tuh

    Word by word

    kula-kṣaye
    when a family is destroyed
    praṇaśyanti
    perish
    kula-dharmāḥ
    the family's dharma: its customs, duties and rites
    sanātanāḥ
    age-old
    dharme naṣṭe
    when dharma is lost
    kulam kṛtsnam
    the whole family
    adharmaḥ abhibhavati
    disorder overwhelms
    uta
    indeed

Context and commentary

Notice what Arjuna calls Krishna. Mādhava is usually taken as “descendant of Madhu”, and Janārdana is traditionally explained either as “the one people turn to” or as “the one who troubles wrongdoers”. He is appealing to Krishna as the protector of people, right while asking to be let off protecting anyone by fighting. Kula-dharma is worth knowing too: it means a family's whole inherited way of life, its customs, duties and the rites for its ancestors, and the next reading (1.41–44) follows that chain of consequences further. Interpretation: Arjuna's case is not foolish. Loyalty to kin and respect for tradition are real values, and the Mahābhārata takes them seriously. But classical commentators such as Śaṅkara read these verses as grief and confusion speaking in the language of dharma, and Krishna's first reply in Chapter 2 treats them as a loss of nerve rather than a moral insight. Rāmānuja and devotional readers hear genuine tenderness in Arjuna, while noting that Krishna does not accept where it leads. Readers also notice the irony in 1.38–39: Arjuna says the other side is blinded by greed while “we” see clearly, and much of the rest of the Gita is about whether he really does.

Today's lesson

When the feeling comes first, the argument follows

Arjuna's body said no before his mind did: the trembling and the slipping bow came first, and only then this careful case about sin, family and tradition. The case may even contain real truths, but notice the order. Under pressure we often flinch first and find the principles afterwards: the honest conversation we keep postponing suddenly becomes “not the right time”, or the new exercise habit becomes “probably bad for my knees”. The Gita does not dismiss Arjuna's feeling, and Krishna will answer it later. For now, the practice is simply to spot a feeling wearing an argument's clothes.

Try this today

The next time you catch yourself building a strong case against something difficult, pause and ask: “Did I reason my way here, or did I start here?” Then write down, in one line, the feeling underneath. For example, if you have three good reasons not to raise a problem with a colleague or friend, the line underneath might be “I'm afraid they'll be upset with me.” You don't have to change your decision; just see whether the reasons still hold once the feeling is named.

Words in this reading

Dharma
The right way to act for a person in their place in life: duty, but also what holds a family and a society together.

Check the text and listen