TEXTS 37-38

Tekst

Text

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

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

Synonyms

yadi — hvis; api — selv; ete — de; na — ikke; paśyanti — ser; lobha — af grådighed; upahata — overvældet; cetasaḥ — deres hjerter; kula-kṣaya — i at dræbe familien; kṛtam — gjort; doṣam — fejlen; mitra-drohe — i at skændes med venner; ca — også; pātakam — den syndige reaktion; katham — hvorfor; na — ikke; jñeyam — skulle det være kendt; asmābhiḥ — af os; pāpāt — fra synd; asmāt — fra denne; nivartitum — at stoppe; kula-kṣaya — i udslettelsen af dynastiet; kṛtam — gjort; doṣam — forbrydelsen; prapaśyadbhiḥ — af dem, der kan se; janārdana — O Kṛṣṇa.

yadi — if; api — even; ete — they; na — do not; paśyanti — see; lobha — by greed; upahata — overpowered; cetasaḥ — their hearts; kula-kṣaya — in killing the family; kṛtam — done; doṣam — fault; mitra-drohe — in quarreling with friends; ca — also; pātakam — sinful reactions; katham — why; na — should not; jñeyam — be known; asmābhiḥ — by us; pāpāt — from sins; asmāt — these; nivartitum — to cease; kula-kṣaya — in the destruction of a dynasty; kṛtam — done; doṣam — crime; prapaśyadbhiḥ — by those who can see; janārdana — O Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

O Janārdana, skønt disse mennesker er besat af grådighed og intet forkert ser i at dræbe deres egen familie eller strides med venner, hvorfor skulle vi, der kan se forbrydelsen i at udslette en familie, involvere os i disse syndige handlinger?

O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?

Purport

FORKLARING: En kṣatriya forventes ikke at afstå fra kamp eller spil, når han bliver udfordret dertil af en modstander. Eftersom Arjuna var blevet udfordret af Duryodhanas side, var han forpligtet til at kæmpe og kunne ikke trække sig ud af slaget. I den forbindelse tænkte Arjuna, at måske var hans modstandere blinde over for følgerne af en sådan udfordring. Selv kunne han se de forfærdelige konsekvenser, den ville medføre, og tog derfor ikke mod udfordringen. Forpligtelser er kun bindende, hvis følgerne er gode. Hvis de ikke er det, behøver ingen føle sig bundet. Efter at have overvejet for og imod besluttede Arjuna sig til ikke at kæmpe.

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.