“Aho bata mahat-papam” (Alas! What a sin: (intent to kill) (Please meditate on this further: Look at how the war would cost his own family members? What a sin? The term ” mahat-papam ” (great sin) is to highlight that the war is not only a violent act but also a fall from virtue that will have dreadful consequences.

“Kartum vyavasita vayam” (We are determined to commit): While we are warriors (Kshatriyas) and warriors must fight (dharma), it has now come to Arjuna’s attention that they cannot see this battle as dharma but as an act of evil. His reflections make him ask whether personal virtue trumps social obligation.

“Yad-rajya-sukha-lobhena” (Due to greed for kingdom and pleasure): Arjuna condemns the motivation behind the war, attributing it to selfish desires for power and material enjoyment. While this is a direct condemnation of Duryodhana and the Kauravas, Arjuna also implicates himself and his allies in the action, signifying his conflict within.

[“Hantum sva-janam udyatah” (Prepared to kill our own kinsmen)]: The deepest moral crisis in Arjuna’s mind is a conflict between his duty as a warrior (Kshatriya Dharma) and emotional ties. The use of “ sva-janam ” (own people) highlights his pain; he does not consider the Kauravas his enemies, he sees them as his own family members, teachers, friends.

Philosophical Perspective:

This verse in this epic captures Arjuna’s turmoil, conflicting emotions, and the briefly wavering of his Dharma. In Hindu thought, and especially the Bhagavad Gita, duty (Dharma) comes above personal feelings. However, Arjuna is unable to sever his personal relationships and spirals into doubt and learning (Vishada). It is to resolve Arjuna’s doubts that Krishna will impart his higher teaching, which guides Arjuna unto his rightful duty as a warrior, teaching him about unselfishness and service to Dharma.

Lessons from this Verse:

Material Greed Leads to Ethical Dilemmas: Wisdom criticizes the greed for power as a source of conflicts. When we choose our own desires over relationships and values in everyday life, it still has an effect.

Emotional Attachments Can Cloud Judgement: Arjuna’s attachment to family makes him forget his higher duty (Sva-dharma). Likewise, in our lives, we can get lost in emotions, which clouds our judgment, leading us to make all the wrong decisions.

Right and Wrong are Not Always Simple: Arjuna sees the battle as unwinnable and immoral, whereas later Krishna will teach that action without attachment is the highest Dharma. The verse encourages reflection: Is it wrong to fight for justice? Or is inaction also a sin?

Maybe That’s Why Krishna Responds to Arjuna’s Doubts This Way: Immediately after describing the scene in this verse, Arjuna completely loses it (Verse 46) and asks whether he would rather die than fight. In Chapter 2, Krishna starts to correct Arjuna’s perception, explaining that the thoughts that spring from the mind are fleeting and that he must act in accordance to his higher duty (Dharma).

Krishna will cover topics like:

Immortal soul (Atman), selfless action (Karma Yoga), non-attachment to fruits of action

The Bhagavad Gita 1.45 is a poignant verse where we see not just action but doubt in the Kurukshetra of Arjuna’s mind, where delusion is present, but the great dilemma remained, the conflict of love versus duty. Moral dilemma of I, material desires and action are some of the lessons that we learn through his life.

Here is the tipping point moment of the Bhagavad Gita, in which Arjuna will finally, unreservedly, turn himself over unto Krishna, who then delivers the ageless teachings of the Gita.