Chapter 2, Verse 5
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥२-५॥
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktum bhaikṣyam apīha loke | hatvārtha-kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān ||2-5||
Meaning
It would be better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great-souled teachers. Even if they desire worldly gain, they are still my gurus, and if I kill them, every enjoyment here will be stained with their blood.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna's moral intuition here is not without substance — it shows a refined conscience. He is unwilling to purchase victory and prosperity at the price of the blood of his teachers. This reflects a genuine ethical sensitivity: can one truly enjoy the fruits of an action whose means were deeply corrupting? The image of 'bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān' — pleasures smeared with blood — is poetic and morally vivid.
Yet Arjuna's error is still one of incomplete analysis. He is applying the ethics of personal relationship to a context that requires the ethics of dharmic duty. Moreover, he presupposes that his non-action is 'clean' — but as Krishna will show later, inaction on the battlefield has its own consequences, its own 'blood.' Every choice, including non-choice, generates karmic fruit.
The deeper teaching being set up here is the concept of nishkama karma — action without selfish desire for fruit. If Arjuna acts not for personal enjoyment of victory but as fulfillment of dharma, the moral equation changes entirely. The modern parallel is clear: when we are faced with difficult decisions that require us to act against personal attachment, the question is not 'what will I gain?' but 'what does right action demand of me here?'
💡 Key Takeaway
Do not let fear of personal moral stain prevent you from fulfilling dharma — examine whether inaction is truly cleaner than action.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् । अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥२-२॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam | anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna ||2-2||
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you at this critical moment? This is not befitting a man who knows what is valuable in life. It does not lead to higher planets but to infamy.
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥२-३॥
klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||2-3||
Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha. It does not befit you. Shake off this faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies.
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥२-४॥
arjuna uvāca kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana | iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||2-4||
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies?