arjuna uvāca
kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana |
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv-arisūdana || 4 ||
Arjuna said:
4. O Krishna, O Destroyer of enemies, how can I fight with arrows in battle against Bhishma and
Drona who are worthy of reverence?
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke |
hatvārtha kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān || 5 ||
5. It is better even to live on a beggar's fare in this world than to slay these most venerable teachers.
If I should slay my teachers, even though they may be degraded by desire for wealth, I would be
enjoying only blood-stained pleasures.
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ |
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭhrāḥ || 6 ||
6. We do not know, which of the two is better for us— our vanquishing them, the very sons of
Dhrtarashtra, or their vanquishing us. After slaying them we would not wish to live, even though
they are standing in array against us.
