पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः। तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान्। स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव॥
papam evashrayet asman hatvaitanatatayinah tasmannarha vayam hantum dhartarashtran svabandavan svajanam hi katham hatva sukhinah syama madhava
Translation
Sin alone will accrue to us if we slay these aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our own relatives. How can we be happy after killing our own kinsmen, O Madhava?
Commentary
Arjuna uses religious reasoning — killing relatives will bring sin. He acknowledges the Kauravas as aggressors but still argues against fighting. Krishna will later correct this misunderstanding of dharma.
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