Bhagavad Gita BG 2.5
Chapter 2, Verse 5 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ ५ ॥
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṃ bhaikṣyam apīha loke hatvārtha-kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān
Meaning
It is better to live in this world by begging than to kill these noble teachers. Were I to slay them, even though they desire worldly gain, I would enjoy only pleasures smeared with their blood.
Understanding
Arjuna makes a radical statement: he would rather beg for food than rule a kingdom stained with the blood of his teachers. 'Mahānubhāvān' — great souls — is his description of Bhishma and Drona, even though they fight for the wrong side. He acknowledges they are motivated by 'artha-kāma' (desire for wealth and pleasure) — yet their greatness as teachers transcends this. Any victory would be hollow, the pleasures 'smeared with their blood' (rudhira-pradigdhān).
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| गुरून् | gurūn | teachers / gurus |
| महानुभावान् | mahānubhāvān | great souls / noble persons |
| भैक्ष्यम् | bhaikṣyam | begging / alms |
| अर्थकामान् | artha-kāmān | those who desire wealth and pleasure |
| रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् | rudhira-pradigdhān | smeared with blood |
| अहत्वा | ahatvā | without killing / not having slain |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (causal particle) |
| श्रेयः | śreyaḥ | better / more beneficial |
| भोक्तुम् | bhoktum | to live by / to eat / to subsist on |
| अपि | api | even / also |
| इह | iha | here / in this world |
| लोके | loke | in the world |
| हत्वा | hatvā | having killed / by slaying |
| तु | tu | but / however (contrast) |
| इहैव | ihaiva | right here / in this very world |
| भुञ्जीय | bhuñjīya | I would enjoy / I would eat |
| भोगान् | bhogān | enjoyments / pleasures |