A declaration · reflective in mood · easy to enter
“Greed can make even victory feel like a crime.”
Alas, we have resolved to commit a grave wrong—driven by greed for kingdom and pleasure, we are ready to kill our own kin.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyalas indeed · to do · resolved · we · that · by greed for kingdom-pleasure · to kill
Arjuna sees the war as a terrible wrong. He feels they are driven by greed for power and pleasure, and ready to kill their own relatives.
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 45 sits in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You are about to send the message that will break a family apart, and you can feel the wrongness before your finger moves. That hesitation is not weakness.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from winning at any cost to noticing the moral price of winning.
What this verse means
Arjuna sees the war as a terrible wrong. He feels they are driven by greed for power and pleasure, and ready to kill their own relatives.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna looks at the armies and recoils. The fight is no longer about victory; it feels like kin-killing for power and comfort. This verse captures the moment his moral horror becomes explicit.
Why this verse still matters
You are about to send the message that will break a family apart, and you can feel the wrongness before your finger moves. That hesitation is not weakness.
“A clear conscience can appear even in the middle of confusion.”
Explore related themes: arjuna vishada (14 verses)