न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः। यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस् तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः॥
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ / yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
He doesn't even know if winning is preferable — because those he'd kill are those without whom life has no meaning.
Word by word (5)
- na ca etat vidmaḥ
- — and we do not know this
- katarat naḥ garīyaḥ
- — which is better for us
- yat vā jayema yadi vā naḥ jayeyuḥ
- — whether we conquer them or they conquer us
- yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaḥ
- — those by killing whom we would not wish to live · A devastating line: Arjuna identifies those on the opposing side as people without whom life holds no meaning. They are not enemies to be defeated — they are people whose deaths would make victory meaningless.
- te avasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
- — those sons of Dhritarashtra stand before us
'And I do not know which outcome is better — whether we conquer them or they conquer us. The sons of Dhritarashtra who stand here before us — these are the very people having slain whom I would not even wish to go on living.'
A modern analogy
The moment in any bitter conflict where you realize that the people on the other side are not your enemies — they are people you love, even if they have done you wrong. And that the 'victory' would hollow out the life it was supposed to protect. Arjuna cannot see the value of winning. Not because he is weak, but because he loves these people.
Take with you
- The honest admission 'I don't know what's better' is more mature than false certainty in either direction.
- Arjuna identifies people whose deaths would make victory feel like defeat — this is wisdom about what really gives life meaning.
- This verse marks the full extent of Arjuna's confusion: he cannot see any good outcome.
Verse 6 contains the most philosophically vulnerable admission in Arjuna's speech: 'na ca etat vidmaḥ' — we do not know this. He does not know which is better. This is intellectual honesty at its most painful. The teaching that follows will not resolve this uncertainty by making one outcome clearly preferable. It will dissolve the uncertainty by showing Arjuna that the quality of action is not determined by its outcome. The right action (fighting from dharma) remains right regardless of whether Arjuna wins or loses — and this realization is what makes action possible again.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
We do not even know which is preferable for us — that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, having slain whom we would not wish to live, stand arrayed against us. [4]
Yea! and I know not Which way the cause goes — whether to conquer them Or they to conquer us — but this I know, That I would not desire to live for one brief hour If I must see these living men before me all slain. [7]
We do not know which is better for us — whether we should conquer them or they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, whom having slain we would not desire to live, stand arrayed against us. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
I am your student. My mind is bewildered about what is right. Teach me.
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
O Madhusūdana — I see no stable foundation for this yoga: the mind's restlessness defeats all steadiness.
Even the wise are confused about action vs. inaction. I will explain — knowing this frees you from all wrong.
The guṇātīta neither hates light, activity, or delusion when present — nor yearns for them when absent.
Tāmasic sukha: deluding of the self both at start and in consequence — arises from sleep, laziness, and carelessness.