1.32. I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. Of what avail is dominion to us, O Krishna, or pleasures or even life?

1.30 1.34 Na ca sreyah, etc., upto mahikrte. Those who are wrongly conceived as object of slaying, with the individualizing idea that 'these are my teachers etc.'8 would necessarily generate sin. Similarly, the act of slaying even of those deserving to be slain in the battle-if undertaken with the idea that 'This battle is to be fought for the apparent results like pleasures, happiness etc.'- then it generates sin necessarily. This idea lurks in the objection [of Arjuna]. That is why a reply is going to be given [by Bhagavat] as 'You must undertake actions simply as your own duty, and not with an individualizing idea'.

1.32: O Krishna! I desire neither victory, nor kingdom, nor even pleasures. O Govinda! What good is a kingdom to us? What good are enjoyments? Or what good is life itself? Commentary: Explanation—"I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom nor pleasures"—Suppose we are victorious in this war; victory would grant us sovereignty and dominion over the entire earth. Gaining the kingdom of the earth would bring us many kinds of pleasures. Yet, I desire none of these—meaning, my mind harbors no longing for victory, kingdom, or pleasures. "What good is a kingdom to us, O Govinda, what good are enjoyments, or even life?"—When there is no desire whatsoever (for victory, kingdom, or pleasure) in our mind, then what benefit is there for us, however great a kingdom we may obtain? However many beautiful enjoyments we may receive, what good are they to us? Or, having slain our kinsmen, what good is it for us to live on for many years, enjoying the pleasures of a kingdom? The essence is that victory, kingdom, and enjoyments can give happiness only when there is an inner desire for them, an affection for them, a sense of their importance. But within us, there is no such desire at all. Therefore, what happiness can they give us? Having killed these kinsmen, we have no desire to live; for when our kinsmen perish, for whom will this kingdom and these enjoyments be of use? Kingdom, enjoyments, and the like are meant for the family, but when they themselves are dead, who will enjoy them? Far from enjoyment, on the contrary, we will have even greater anxiety and sorrow! Connection—Arjuna explains the reason why he does not desire victory and so forth in the following verses.