Bhagavad Gita BG 1.45
Chapter 1, Verse 45 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम् । यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ॥ ४५ ॥
aho bata mahat pāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam yad rājya-sukha-lobhena hantuṃ svajanam udyatāḥ
Meaning
Alas! How strange it is that we are preparing to commit such a great sin — driven by the desire for royal happiness, we are set to kill our own people.
Understanding
Arjuna's argument reaches its emotional peak. 'Aho bata' — alas, how strange! It is an exclamation of wonder and dismay. He now sees the entire enterprise of war as driven by 'rājya-sukha-lobha' — greed for royal happiness. The word 'lobha' (greed) is striking — earlier he used it to describe the Kauravas' blindness, and now he applies it to all of them, including himself. He is shocked by what he sees clearly: the desire for power has brought them to the brink of monstrous sin.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अहो बत | aho bata | alas / how strange and terrible |
| महत् पापम् | mahat pāpam | great sin / tremendous evil |
| व्यवसिताः | vyavasitāḥ | determined / set upon / prepared to do |
| राज्यसुखलोभेन | rājya-sukha-lobhena | driven by greed for royal happiness |
| उद्यताः | udyatāḥ | ready / set / poised to |
| कर्तुम् | kartum | to commit / to do (this sin) |
| वयम् | vayam | we |
| यत् | yat | that / which (because of which) |
| हन्तुम् | hantum | to kill / to slay |
| स्वजनम् | svajanam | our own people / own kinsmen |