1.45. Alas! We are involved in a great sin, in that we are prepared to kill our kinsmen, through greed for the pleasures of a kingdom.

1.45 Aho bata etc. We denotes one and all who were divided [into the opposite campus] by the division among the Kauravas and the Pandavas. When every one is indiscriminate, what act is proper for me, while I am endowed with the faculty to discriminate? Of course, it is proper to turn back from the battle. Yet, says [Arjuna], what is much more proper is this [see next sloka]:

1.45. "Alas! It is a matter of great astonishment and sorrow that we have resolved to commit a grave sin, driven by greed for kingdom and pleasure, we stand ready to slay our own kinsmen!" Commentary: 'Alas! ... ready to slay our own kinsmen'—These wicked ones like Duryodhana have no regard for dharma. Greed has overpowered them. Therefore, if they are prepared for war, it is no surprise. But we are those who know dharma and adharma, duty and non-duty, virtue and sin. Despite being such knowers, like ignorant men, we have deliberated and resolved to commit this grave sin. Not only that, we stand armed and ready to kill our own kinsmen in battle! This is a matter of immense astonishment and sorrow—utterly inappropriate—for us. It is a great sin—'mahātpāpam'—that disregarding all our knowledge, what we have heard from the scriptures, the teachings received from elders, and the resolve to reform our own lives, we have today resolved to commit the sin of waging war. In this verse, two words appear: 'aho' and 'bat'. 'Aho' expresses astonishment. The astonishment is this: despite knowing the chain of calamities arising from war, we have firmly resolved to commit the great sin of waging war! The second word, 'bat', expresses sorrow, grief. The sorrow is this: enticed by greed for transient kingdom and pleasure, we stand ready to kill our own family members! The sole cause for this resolve to commit sin and readiness to kill our kinsmen is greed for kingdom and pleasure. The implication is: if we are victorious in war, we will obtain kingdom and opulence, we will receive honor and respect, our greatness will increase, our influence will reign over the entire kingdom, our command will prevail everywhere, with wealth we will acquire desired objects of enjoyment, then we will rest comfortably and enjoy pleasures—thus, greed for kingdom and pleasure has overwhelmed us, which is entirely inappropriate for men like us. In this verse, Arjuna wishes to say that only by respecting our own good thoughts and knowledge can we obey the injunctions of the scriptures and elders. But a man who disrespects his own good thoughts cannot assimilate the excellent teachings of the scriptures, elders, and principles even after hearing them. By repeatedly disrespecting and scorning good thoughts, their generation ceases. Then who is there to restrain a man from vice and misconduct? Similarly, if we too do not respect our knowledge, then who can restrain us from the chain of calamities? That is, no one can. Here, Arjuna's vision is towards the action of war. He considers the action of war as blameworthy and wishes to withdraw from it; but his vision is not directed towards what the actual fault is. In war, the fault lies in familial attachment, selfishness, and desire alone, but due to his vision not being directed there, Arjuna here expresses astonishment and sorrow, which is actually not appropriate for any thoughtful, righteous, and valiant Kshatriya. [Earlier, in verse 38, Arjuna stated greed as the cause for Duryodhana and others being engaged in war, the fault of destruction of the family, and the sin of betraying friends; and here too, he states that due to greed for kingdom and pleasure, he is ready to commit a great sin. This proves that Arjuna considers 'greed' as the cause for sin occurring. Yet, later, in verse 36 of the third chapter, why did Arjuna ask, 'Why does a man, even unwilling, commit sin?' The resolution is: here, due to familial attachment, Arjuna considers desisting from war as dharma and engaging in war as adharma, i.e., he has only a worldly vision regarding the body, etc., therefore he considers greed as the cause for killing kinsmen in war. But later, upon hearing the teachings of the Gita, the desire for his own supreme good—welfare—awakened in him (Gita 3.2). Therefore, he asks what causes one to engage in action that ought not to be done, abandoning duty—i.e., there (in 3.36) Arjuna asks from the perspective of duty, from the perspective of a spiritual aspirant.] Connection—Immersed in astonishment and sorrow, Arjuna in the next verse states the final conclusion of his arguments.