Verse 46
"I would consider it better for the sons of Dhrtarastra to kill me
unarmed and unresisting,
rather than to fight with them. "
Transilteration keys:
ya-di mA-ma-pra-tI-kA-ram
a-sha-stram sha-stra pA-Na-yaH |
dhA-rta-rA-ShTrA ra-NaE ha-nyuH
ta-nmaE xaE-ma-ta-ram bha-vaEt ||46||
Analysis :
It is the custom--according to kshatriya fighting principles--that an unarmed and unwilling foe should not be attacked. Arjuna, however, in such an enigmatic position, decided he would not fight if he were attacked by the enemy. . He is soft-hearted and a great devotee of the Lord. He did not consider how much the other party was bent upon fighting.
Comments
Here we see an Arjuna who is overwhelmed with feelings of remorse and confusion. He sees relatives, people he grew up with, and people he had lots of love and respect for. And he sees all of them on the opposite site, ready to fight against him.
Arjuna is faced with a dilemma. We encounter such circumstances in our lives when we feel "is this worth fighting for, is this worth all the pain". We find Arjuna facing such a situation in his life.
It will give us all an enormous amount of relief to hear what Krishna has to say (in the next Chapter) in response to Arjuna's predicament.
verse 46 contributed by Mathi Veluswamy
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