Shloka

गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान्
श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके |
हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव
भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ||२-५||

Transliteration

gurūnahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṃ bhaikṣyamapīha loke .
hatvārthakāmāṃstu gurūnihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhirapradigdhān ||2-5||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

2.5. It is good indeed even to go about begging in this world without killing the elders of great dignity; but with greed for wealth, I would not enjoy, by killing my elders, the blood-stained objects of pleasures.

Shri Purohit Swami

2.5 Rather would I content myself with a beggar’s crust that kill these teachers of mine, these precious noble souls! To slay these masters who are my benefactors would be to stain the sweetness of life’s pleasures with their blood.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

2.5 See Comment under 2.6

Sri Ramanuja

2.4 - 2.5 Arjuna said Again Arjuna, being moved by love, compassion and fear, mistaking unrighteousness for righteousness, and not understanding, i.e., not knowing the beneficial words of Sri Krsna, said as follows: ‘How can I slay Bhisma, Drona and others worthy or reverence? After slaying those elders, though they are intensely attached to enjoyments, how can I enjoy those very pleasures which are now being enjoyed by them? For, it will be mixed with their blood.

Sri Shankaracharya

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

Swami Adidevananda

2.5 It is better even to live on a beggar’s fare in this world than to slay these most venerable teachers. If I should slay my teachers, though degraded they be by desire for wealth, I would be enjoying only blood-stained pleasures here.

Swami Gambirananda

2.5 Rather than killing the noble-minded elders, it is better in this world to live even on alms. But by killing the elders we shall only be enjoying here the pleasures of wealth and desireable things drenched in blood.

Swami Sivananda

2.5 Better it is, indeed, in this world to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers. But if I kill them, even in this world all my enjoyments of wealth and fulfilled desires will be stained with (their) blood.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

2.5 गुरून् the Gurus (teachers)? अहत्वा instead of slaying? हि indeed? महानुभावान् most noble? श्रेयः better? भोक्तुम् to eat? भैक्ष्यम् alms? अपि even? इह here? लोके in the world? हत्वा having slain? अर्थकामान् desirous of wealth? तु indeed? गुरून् Gurus? इह here? एव also? भुञ्जीय enjoy? भोगान् enjoyments? रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् stained with blood.No commentary.