In Bhagavad Gita 1.37, Arjuna concludes that they should not kill their own kinsmen, the sons of Dhritarashtra, asking how anyone could be happy after killing their own people.
Sanskrit Verse
अर्जुन उवाच · Arjuna said
तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं
धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान्
स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा
सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥ १-३७ ॥
tasmānnārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ
dhārtarāṣṭrānsvabāndhavān
svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā
sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava
English transliteration tasmaannaarhaa vayam hantum
dhaartaraashtraansvabaandhavaan
svajanam hi katham hatvaa
sukhinah syaama maadhava ॥ 1.37 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Therefore we ought not to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our own relatives. How can we be happy, O Madhava, after killing our own people?
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तस्मात् tasmāt | therefore |
| न na | not |
| अर्हाः arhāḥ | justified, fit |
| वयम् vayam | we |
| हन्तुम् hantum | to kill |
| धार्तराष्ट्रान् dhārtarāṣṭrān | the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra |
| स्वबान्धवान् svabāndhavān | our own kinsmen sva (own) + bāndhavān (kinsmen) |
| स्वजनम् svajanam | our own people sva (own) + janam (people) |
| हि hi | indeed |
| कथम् katham | how |
| हत्वा hatvā | having killed |
| सुखिनः sukhinaḥ | happy |
| स्याम syāma | could we be |
| माधव mādhava | O Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) |
Word-wise Chanting
- tas–mān–nār–hā va–yaṃ han–tuṃ 8 syllables tas-maan-naar-haa va-yam han-tum
- dhār–ta–rāṣ–ṭrān–sva–bān–dha–vān | 8 syllables dhaar-ta-raash-traan-sva-baan-dha-vaan
- sva–ja–naṃ hi ka–thaṃ hat–vā 8 syllables sva-ja-nam hi ka-tham hat-vaa
- su–khi–naḥ syā–ma mā–dha–va || 1-37 8 syllables su-khi-nah syaa-ma maa-dha-va
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 1 Verse 37
Context
Arjuna draws a conclusion from the moral argument of 1.36.
Meaning
Arjuna’s conclusion is clear and heartfelt: killing one’s own people can never lead to happiness. He addresses Krishna as Madhava, again recalling Krishna as the bearer of good fortune, as if to ask how fortune could ever come from such a deed. His logic seems unanswerable from where he stands.
The question “how can we be happy?” reveals that Arjuna is still measuring the situation by its outcome for himself and his brothers. Krishna will gently move him beyond this measure. Right action, the Gita teaches, is not chosen for the happiness it brings but for its truth; peace then follows as a natural fruit.
In Practice
Notice one decision you are weighing mainly by how it will make you feel. Ask instead which choice is most truthful and kind, and let that lead.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.