Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 46 (BG 1.46) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

1.46 यदि if? माम् me? अप्रतीकारम् unresisting? अशस्त्रम् unarmed? शस्त्रपाणयः with weapons in hand? धार्तराष्ट्राः the sons of Dhritarashtra? रणे in the battle हन्युः should slay? तत् that? मे of me? क्षेमतरम् better? भवेत् would be.No Commentary.

Here Arjun declares his final decision. After considering the situation from every angle, he concludes that it is right for him not to retaliate on the battlefield—even if the Kauravas, knowing him to be unarmed, pierce his beautiful body with hundreds of arrows as they would a deer. The word "kshem" used by Arjun here is worthy of reflection, for it reveals his true state of mind. The words kshem and moksha signify material prosperity and spiritual advancement respectively. Although Arjun has thus far presented arguments in which he labored greatly to demonstrate the fear of decline in spiritual culture, the word kshem makes it clear that what he truly desired was physical safety—which flight from battle would provide. In summary, we may say that due to his extreme attachment to the fruit of victory in battle and his anxiety about it, Arjun loses his inner strength and begins to behave like a person afflicted with mental disturbance, acting in strange and contradictory ways.