Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 46

English Translation

If, in this battle, the sons of Dhrtarastra armed with weapons kill me who am non-resistant and unarmed, that will be more beneficial to me.

Detailed Commentary

**1.46** **Explanation:** "If I..." (yadi mām)... "it would be more beneficial" (kṣemataram bhavet) – Arjuna states that if he were to completely withdraw from the war, perhaps Duryodhana and others too would retreat. For if we desire nothing and do not fight, why would these people wage war? But even if these armed individuals think, 'Let the thorn in our path be removed, let the enemy be destroyed,' and they kill an unarmed person like me, it would still be beneficial for me. For I would be saved from the sin I would have incurred by slaying my Gurus and elders. The essence is that by not fighting, I would be spared from sin, and my family would also not be destroyed. [Whatever subject a person describes, it impacts them. When Arjuna began speaking out of grief, he was not as overcome with sorrow as he is now. Initially, he was not averse to war, but as he spoke, consumed by grief, he eventually turned away from battle and sat down, abandoning his bow and arrows. The Lord thought that He would speak once Arjuna's outpouring had ceased, once his grief had fully expressed itself; only then would His words have an effect. Therefore, the Lord did not speak in the interim.] **A Special Point:** Up to now, all the arguments Arjuna has presented for withdrawing from war, considering himself righteous, will be understood as correct by worldly people, and what the Lord will explain to Arjuna later, they will not consider correct! The reason for this is that individuals, based on their current state, only deem as true those arguments that align with their own level of understanding; they cannot comprehend matters of a higher order. Within Arjuna lies familial *moha* (delusion/attachment), and entangled in this *moha*, he speaks of *Dharma* and welfare. Only those caught in familial *moha* will deem Arjuna's words to be correct. But the Lord's vision is directed towards the welfare of the *Jiva* – how its salvation can be achieved. Those with a worldly perspective cannot comprehend this elevated vision of the Lord. Therefore, they will not consider the Lord's words correct and will believe that it was right for Arjuna to avoid the sin of war, but the Lord did not do right by engaging him in it! In reality, the Lord did not make Arjuna fight; rather, He enlightened him about his *Kartavya* (duty). The war had naturally presented itself to Arjuna as his *Kartavya*. Therefore, the idea of war was Arjuna's; he himself had initiated the war, which is why he invited the Lord (Krishna) to be his charioteer. But considering it inauspicious or harmful by his own intellect, he was turning away from war, meaning he was deviating from his *Kartavya*. To this, the Lord said that this unwillingness to fight is your *moha*. Therefore, abandoning one's *Kartavya* is not proper. Someone was going to Badrinath, but on the way, he became disoriented. He mistook south for north and north for south. He met a man coming from the opposite direction. He asked, 'Where are you going?' He replied, 'Badrinath.' The man said, 'Badrinath is not this way, it's that way. You are going in the wrong direction!' So, that person was not taking him to Badrinath; rather, he was simply giving him knowledge of the direction. Similarly, the Lord enlightened Arjuna about his *Kartavya*; He did not make him fight the war. Upon seeing his kinsmen, the thought arose in Arjuna's mind, "I will not fight" — *Na Yotsye* (2.9). But after listening to the Lord's instruction, Arjuna did not say, "I will not fight"; instead, he said, "I will follow Your command" — *Karishye Vachanam Tava* (18.73), meaning, "I will fulfill my *Kartavya*." Arjuna's words thus prove that the Lord enlightened him about his *Kartavya*. In reality, the war was inevitable, because everyone's lifespan had come to an end. No one could avert it. The Lord Himself, during the revelation of His Universal Form (*Vishwaroop Darshan*), told Arjuna, "I am Time, and I have come to annihilate all. Even without your action, these will not fight (they are already slain by Me)." (11.32) Therefore, this massacre was bound to happen. This massacre would have occurred even if Arjuna had not fought. If Arjuna had not fought, Yudhishthira would certainly have fought. Bhimasena would also not have backed away from the war, as he had vowed to kill the Kauravas. Draupadi had said that if the Pandavas did not fight, her father, brothers, and sons would fight the Kauravas. Thus, it was impossible to avert the war. It is not within human power to stop what is destined to happen; but by fulfilling one's *Kartavya*, a person can achieve salvation, and by failing in *Kartavya*, they can fall. This means a human being is free to do what is beneficial or harmful for themselves. Therefore, by enlightening Arjuna about his *Kartavya*, the Lord has given the teaching to all that they should be diligent in fulfilling their *Kartavya* according to the injunctions of the *Shastras*, and never deviate from it. **Connection:** In the previous *Shloka*, Arjuna presented the conclusion of his arguments. What Arjuna did next – Sanjay narrates this in the following *Shloka*.