Chapter2- Sloka 5
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṃ bhaikṣyam apīha loke |
hatvārtha kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān || 5 ||
(2.5)
ahatvā- Instead of killing; mahānubhāvān- respectable; gurūn- superiors (Bhīṣma, Droṇa and others of respectable stature); iha loke- In this world; śreyaḥ hi- it is certainly better; bhaikṣyam bhoktuṃ api- to earn our food by begging; gurūn hatvā tu- After killing our superiors; arthakāmān- who are holding on tightly to material pleasures; kathaṃ bhuñjīya- how can we enjoy? bhogān- the material opulences; rudhira pradigdhān-stained in their blood; iha eva- by occupying their places;
Purport
This śloka is a continuation to the previous śloka. The previous śloka started with the question 'kathaṃ- How?', where Arjuna expressed his concern about attacking with arrows all those who were worthy of his worship. In this śloka Arjuna further elaborated on his concern, "Instead of killing our respectable superiors like Bhīṣma, Droṇa and others, it is certainly better for us to earn our food by begging. Even though they are holding on to material pleasures, after killing such superiors, how can we occupy their places and enjoy material opulences stained in their blood?"
gurūn ahatvā hi... bhaikṣyam apīha loke Arjuna assumed that Kṛṣṇa was instructing him to rise and fight as HE was concerned about the Pāṇḍavas that they would not even have food to eat if Bhīṣma, Droṇa and such others were not slain in this battle. In this śloka, Arjuna therefore responded with his stand that he preferred to live the miserable life of a beggar or even perish for that matter, rather than slaying respectable superiors.
arthakāmān gurūn Arjuna further voiced his opinion that it was still ok to take away pleasurable things from them if they were not seeking them. But Bhīṣma, Droṇa and all the other relatives on Duryodhana's side were pleasure seekers. This was evident from their decision to fight on the unjust Duryodhana’s side. Arjuna felt that killing them and taking over the pleasures they were tightly holding on to, was like snatching away food from the hands of the hungry.
hatvā rudhira-pradigdhān bhogān ihaiva (kathaṃ) bhuñjīya The word 'kathaṃ' from the previous śloka is added here for understanding the meaning better. Arjuna continued to question Kṛṣṇa, 'How can we kill these relatives, occupy their places and also enjoy the pleasures which they earlier enjoyed, sitting in those same places? The pleasures gained by killing them would be stained with their blood and would serve as a constant reminder of them. Just as blood soaked food is unfit for consumption, these pleasures too would be unfit for experience, thus giving no joy even in this lifetime.'
Summary:
In the previous śloka, Arjuna declared that the idea of fighting the war against Bhīṣma, Droṇa and others should be given up. In this śloka Arjuna declared that the idea of killing them and relishing the pleasures stained with their blood was to be totally discarded.