Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Shlok Blog -37
Shlok-37
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् । स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥ 1-37 ||
English Transcription
Tasmaannaarha Wayam Hantum Dhaartarashtraanswabaandhawaan | Swajanam Hi Katham Hatwa Sukhinah Syaam Maadhav || 1-37 ||
Hindi Translation
Isiliye apne in Dhritrashtra ke sambandhiyon ko maarne ke hum yogya nahin hain kyunki hey Krishna, apne in kutumbiyon ko maarkar hum kaise sukhi rahenge?
English Translation
Therefore, I am incapable of killing Dhritrashtra’s family and my kinsmen. How will we ever be a happy family if we kill each other?
Meaning
In the previous Shlok, we saw how Arjun argued that he did not feel happy about slaughtering his loved ones and his family and thus, he was convinced that even if killing Duryodhan and the army was justice, it was also a sin and thus, Arjun will not be happy doing it and thus, he will not be killing them.
In this Sholok, Arjun tries to summarize everything he had said before by saying that he felt that he was incapable of killing anyone he had listed in the previous few Shlokas because he felt some kind of attachment with them.
Everyone on the battlefield was somehow attached to the other person, either in their army or in the opposition army, but no one did not feel a thing about the other person. Whether the feeling was love or of hate or at least something impossible otherwise to have because Arjun knew everyone and how they were connected to the other person.
Maximum people on the field could be traced to one another and Arjun thus said that he felt incapable of killing his people because if he felt he was right and his people were wrong, there was someone who felt that they were right and Arjun was wrong. So according to Arjun, they should die and according to them, Arjun should die.
Arjun stated that this was more like a conflict situation and thus, he felt he did not deserve to kill these people even if these people deserved to die. Arjun felt he was a good human being and could not be rude to someone, so killing his own family was impossible.
Arjun wanted to control his anger and the actions he take while in anger because he knew that after a point in time, he will start hating himself with the aftermaths and repercussions of the actions he will take. Arjun knew he was in a tough spot and making a decision was his power but his power and specialization were giving up because Arjun came under the influence of attachment and love and feelings that he was developing for his family and thus, he was forgetting another of his Kshatriya Dharm, which was to avenge the bad done to their people, even if the receiving end is also their people.
Arjun was forgetting his duty because, under the influence of attachment, a person’s wit fails. Under the influence of suppressed humor, willpower also subsides, and alongside, the capacity to work and the power to work both subside from what it should be to what it is really.
Thus, under the influence of attachment, Arjun forgot his duty of standing up for his family and loved ones and fulfilling his duties of being a true soldier.
Conclusion
Attachment to any person, thing, or item is a very common and basic nature of a human being. It makes the human being take steps they wouldn’t otherwise take. People are attached to their loved ones and their people because they have the habit of being used to certain norms and thus in any adversities, it is very easy and important for everyone to make sure they take informed decisions and not anything at a whim. Arjun was a warrior and he had to think like one but he was only clouding his decision based upon ethics and emotions which was dangerous for him because he knew his family was against him and they wanted to kill him but he also loved them so he wasn’t able to realize that the ones he called his loved ones were his enemies.
That’s all for Shlok-37, Chapter-1, Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta. We will see you tomorrow for Shlok-38, Chapter-1. Till then check out Shlok-36, Chapter-1 here
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