na ca śreyo ’nupaśyāmi hatvā sva-janam āhave na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca

na ca śreyo ’nupaśyāmi hatvā sva-janam āhave na kāṅkṣe vijayaṁ kṛṣṇa na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca Without knowing that one’s self-interest is in Viṣṇu (or Kṛṣṇa), conditioned souls are attracted by bodily relationships, hoping to be happy in such situations. In such a blind conception of life, they forget even the causes of material happiness. Arjuna appears to have even forgotten the moral codes for a kṣatriya. It is said that two kinds of men, namely the kṣatriya who dies directly in front of the battlefield under Kṛṣṇa’s personal orders and the person in the renounced order of life who is absolutely devoted to spiritual culture, are eligible to enter into the sun globe, which is so powerful and dazzling. Arjuna is reluctant even to kill his enemies, let alone his relatives. He thinks that by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in his life, and therefore he is not willing to fight, just as a person who does not feel hunger is not inclined to cook. He has now decided to go into the forest and live a secluded life in frustration. But as a kṣatriya, he requires a kingdom for his subsistence, because the kṣatriyas cannot engage themselves in any other occupation. But Arjuna has no kingdom. Arjuna’s sole opportunity for gaining a kingdom lies in fighting with his cousins and brothers and reclaiming the kingdom inherited from his father, which he does not like to do. Therefore he considers himself fit to go to the forest to live a secluded life of frustration.

kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca

kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca Arjuna has addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as Govinda because Kṛṣṇa is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates that Kṛṣṇa should understand what will satisfy Arjuna’s senses. But Govinda is not meant for satisfying our senses. If we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda, however, then automatically our own senses are satisfied. Materially, everyone wants to satisfy his senses, and he wants God to be the order supplier for such satisfaction. The Lord will satisfy the senses of the living entities as much as they deserve, but not to the extent that they may covet. But when one takes the opposite way – namely, when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one’s own senses – then by the grace of Govinda all desires of the living entity are satisfied. Arjuna’s deep affection for community and family members is exhibited here partly due to his natural compassion for them. He is therefore not prepared to fight. Everyone wants to show his opulence to friends and relatives, but Arjuna fears that all his relatives and friends will be killed on the battlefield and he will be unable to share his opulence after victory. This is a typical calculation of material life. The transcendental life, however, is different. Since a devotee wants to satisfy the desires of the Lord, he can, Lord willing, accept all kinds of opulence for the service of the Lord, and if the Lord is not willing, he should not accept a farthing. Arjuna did not want to kill his relatives, and if there were any need to kill them, he desired that Kṛṣṇa kill them personally. At this point he did not know that Kṛṣṇa had already killed them before their coming into the battlefield and that he was only to become an instrument for Kṛṣṇa. This fact is disclosed in following chapters. As a natural devotee of the Lord, Arjuna did not like to retaliate against his miscreant cousins and brothers, but it was the Lord’s plan that they should all be killed. The devotee of the Lord does not retaliate against the wrongdoer, but the Lord does not tolerate any mischief done to the devotee by the miscreants. The Lord can excuse a person on His own account, but He excuses no one who has done harm to His devotees. Therefore the Lord was determined to kill the miscreants, although Arjuna wanted to excuse them.

ta ime ’vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ

ta ime ’vasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ (See purport in verse 32, which covers verses 32-35 comprehensively.)

mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā etān na hantum icchāmi ghnato ’pi madhusūdana

mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā etān na hantum icchāmi ghnato ’pi madhusūdana (See purport in verse 32, which covers verses 32-35 comprehensively.)

api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana

api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana (See purport in verse 32, which covers verses 32-35 comprehensively.)

pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣṭrān sa-bāndhavān sva-janaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava

pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ dhārtarāṣṭrān sa-bāndhavān sva-janaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: (1) a poison giver, (2) one who sets fire to the house, (3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, (4) one who plunders riches, (5) one who occupies another’s land, and (6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors. Such killing of aggressors is quite befitting any ordinary man, but Arjuna was not an ordinary person. He was saintly by character, and therefore he wanted to deal with them in saintliness. This kind of saintliness, however, is not for a kṣatriya. Although a responsible man in the administration of a state is required to be saintly, he should not be cowardly. For example, Lord Rāma was so saintly that people even now are anxious to live in the kingdom of Lord Rāma (rāma-rājya), but Lord Rāma never showed any cowardice. Rāvaṇa was an aggressor against Rāma because Rāvaṇa kidnapped Rāma’s wife, Sītā, but Lord Rāma gave him sufficient lessons, unparalleled in the history of the world. In Arjuna’s case, however, one should consider the special type of aggressors, namely his own grandfather, own teacher, friends, sons, grandsons, etc. Because of them, Arjuna thought that he should not take the severe steps necessary against ordinary aggressors. Besides that, saintly persons are advised to forgive. Such injunctions for saintly persons are more important than any political emergency. Arjuna considered that rather than kill his own kinsmen for political reasons, it would be better to forgive them on grounds of religion and saintly behavior. He did not, therefore, consider such killing profitable simply for the matter of temporary bodily happiness. After all, kingdoms and pleasures derived therefrom are not permanent, so why should he risk his life and eternal salvation by killing his own kinsmen? Arjuna’s addressing of Kṛṣṇa as “Mādhava,” or the husband of the goddess of fortune, is also significant in this connection. He wanted to point out to Kṛṣṇa that, as the husband of the goddess of fortune, He should not induce Arjuna to take up a matter which would ultimately bring about misfortune. Kṛṣṇa, however, never brings misfortune to anyone, to say nothing of His devotees.

yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahata-cetasaḥ kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitra-drohe ca pātakam

yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahata-cetasaḥ kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitra-drohe ca pātakam A kṣatriya is not supposed to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so invited by some rival party. Under such an obligation, Arjuna could not refuse to fight, because he had been challenged by the party of Duryodhana. In this connection, Arjuna considered that the other party might be blind to the effects of such a challenge. Arjuna, however, could see the evil consequences and could not accept the challenge. Obligation is actually binding when the effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be bound. Considering all these pros and cons, Arjuna decided not to fight.

kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ prapaśyadbhir janārdana

kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ prapaśyadbhir janārdana (See purport in verse 37, which covers verses 37-38.)

adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ

adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varṇāśrama religion’s principles were so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. As children are very prone to be misled, women are similarly very prone to degradation. Therefore, both children and women require protection by the elder members of the family. By being engaged in various religious practices, women will not be misled into adultery. According to Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy. So the different family traditions of religious activities should always engage them, and thus their chastity and devotion will give birth to a good population eligible for participating in the varṇāśrama system. On the failure of such varṇāśrama-dharma, naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence.