Shloka

कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् |
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ||१-३९||

Transliteration

kathaṃ na jñeyamasmābhiḥ pāpādasmānnivartitum .
kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhirjanārdana ||1-39||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

1.39. But, perceiving clearly the evil conseences ensuing from the ruin of the family, should we not have a sense to refrain from this sinful act [of fighting the war], O Janardana ?

Shri Purohit Swami

1.39 Should not we, whose eyes are open, who consider it to be wrong to annihilate our house, turn away from so great a crime?

Sri Abhinav Gupta

1.35 1.44 Nihatya etc. upto anususruma. Sin alone is the agent in the act of slaying these desperadoes. Therefore here the idea is this : These ememies of ours have been slain, i.e., have been take possession of, by sin. Sin would come to us also after slaying them. Sin in this context is the disregard, on account of greed etc., to the injurious conseences like the ruination of the family and the like. That is why Arjuna makes a specific mention of the [ruin of the] family etc., and of its duties in the passage ‘How by slaying my own kinsmen etc’.

The act of slaying, undertaken with an individualizing idea about its result, and with a particularizing idea about the person to be slain, is a great sin. To say this very thing precisely and to indicate the intensity of his own agony, Arjuna says only to himself [see next sloka]:

Sri Ramanuja

1.26 - 1.47 Arjuna said - Sanjaya said Sanjaya continued: The high-minded Arjuna, extremely kind, deeply friendly, and supremely righteous, having brothers like himself, though repeatedly deceived by the treacherous attempts of your people like burning in the lac-house etc., and therefore fit to be killed by him with the help of the Supreme Person, nevertheless said, ‘I will not fight.’

He felt weak, overcome as he was by his love and extreme compassion for his relatives. He was also filled with fear, not knowing what was righteous and what unrighteous. His mind was tortured by grief, because of the thought of future separation from his relations. So he threw away his bow and arrow and sat on the chariot as if to fast to death.

Sri Shankaracharya

1.39 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.

Swami Adidevananda

1.39 Why should we not learn to shun this crime - we who see the evil of ruining a clan, O Krsna?

Swami Gambirananda

1.38 1.39 O Janardana, although these people, whose hearts have become perverted by greed, do not see the evil arising from destroying the family and sin in hostility towards, friends, yet how can we who clearly see the evil arising from destroying the family remain unaware of (the need of) abstaining from this sin?

Swami Sivananda

1.39. Why should not we who clearly see evil in the destruction of families, learn to turn away from this sin, O Janardana (Krishna)?

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

1.39 कथम् why? न not? ज्ञेयम् should be learnt? अस्माभिः by us? पापात् from sin? अस्मात् this? निवर्तितुम् to turn away? कुलक्षयकृतम् in the destruction of families? दोषम् evil? प्रपश्यद्भिः clearly seeing? जनार्दन O Janardana.Commentary Ignorance of law is no excuse but wanton sinful conduct is a grave crime? unworthy of us? who are wiser.