यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतस: |
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् || 38||
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभि: पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् |
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन || 39||
Their thoughts are overpowered by greed and they see no wrong in annihilating their relatives or wreaking treachery upon friends. Why shouldn’t we, O Janaardana, who correctly perceive the wrong in killing our kindred, refrain from committing this sin?
And the justifications by Arjuna for his inaction continues…
Now Arjuna focuses on the flaws of the opposing force. He points the fingers to the greed-afflicted minds of the Army on the opposite side of the Battle. He highlights that the opposing army is ready to annihilate their relatives or wreaking treachery upon the friends just because their greed-afflicted minds cannot differentiate right and wrong. The opposing army has a flawed moral judgment due to greed and that is the reason Arjuna refuses to fight to take high moral ground.
Arjuna claims that he sees the wrong in killing the relatives & friends. To avoid the same error that the opposing army is not able to identify. He justifies his inaction to Shri Krishna with the fact when we see that error, why can’t we refrain from committing this sin.
Arjuna speaks to Shri Krishna what he sees right in his own thoughts and thus he justifies his inaction by presenting the fact that Killing near & dear one in a crime and he, with his sound mind, does not intend to commit that crime.
