Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 36
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन।
पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः।।
पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः।।
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana
pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ
also searched as "nihatya dhartarashtran nah ka pritih syaj janardana"
Translation
If we were to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra, what joy would be ours, O Krsna? Sin alone would accrue to us if we killed these murderous felons.
Vāṇi's rendering
What joy is there in slaying Dhritarashtra's sons? Kill these aggressors, and sin alone clings to us.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| निहत्यnihatya | having struck down, having killed |
| धार्तराष्ट्रान्dhārtarāṣṭrān | the sons of Dhritarashtra |
| नःnaḥ | for us, ours |
| काkā | what |
| प्रीतिःprītiḥ | joy, gladness, satisfaction |
| स्यात्syāt | would there be (sandhi with the next word gives syāj) |
| जनार्दनjanārdana | O Janārdana — Krishna, the one who stirs and troubles men |
| पापम्pāpam | sin, wrongdoing |
| एवeva | only, nothing but (elided before āśrayet) |
| आश्रयेत्āśrayet | would take hold of, would cling to |
| अस्मान्asmān | us |
| हत्वाhatvā | having killed (sandhi with the next word gives hatvaitān) |
| एतान्etān | these men |
| आततायिनःātatāyinaḥ | aggressors — arsonists, poisoners, seizers of another's land and wife; those the codes allow to be struck down |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 36 mean?
Arjuna argues that killing Duryodhana's side brings no joy, and therefore must bring sin. He knows the codes call these men ātatāyinaḥ — aggressors who may lawfully be struck down. He sets that aside and appeals instead to how the act would feel. Pleasure has quietly replaced dharma as his measure of right.
What does nihatya dhartarashtran nah ka pritih syaj janardana mean?
"Having slain Dhritarashtra's sons, what joy would be ours, Janārdana?" It is a question shaped like an argument. Arjuna is not asking Krishna for information; he is asking him to agree. Notice that he names him Janārdana — the one who troubles men — even while pleading to be left untroubled.
Who are the atatayinah Arjuna speaks of?
The ātatāyin is the aggressor of the old codes: one who burns your house, poisons your food, comes at you with a blade, seizes your land or your wife. Duryodhana did all of it. The law permitted their killing without stain. Arjuna concedes the law and appeals past it, to his own reluctance.
Is it wrong to feel no joy in doing your duty?
No. The Gītā never makes gladness the proof of rightness. Duty is often done heavy-hearted, and Krishna will not ask Arjuna to enjoy the field. The error here is smaller and subtler — treating the absence of pleasure as evidence of sin. Your reluctance is real. It is not a ruling.
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Commentary
Arjuna has read the law, and he cites it against itself. Ātatāyin — the arsonist, the poisoner, the one who comes with a sword — the codes say such a man may be struck down without stain. Arjuna does not dispute the ruling. He disputes the joy. Where there is no pleasure in the outcome, he reasons, the act must be sin. Watch what he has done: he has made his own gladness the test of what is right. You do it too, whenever you check your feelings to learn your duty. The two are not the same instrument. Grief is not a verdict.