Devanagari
ज्ञात्वा ज्ञातिवधं गर्ह्यमधर्मं राज्यहेतुकम् ।
ततो निवृत्तो हन्ताहं हतोऽयमिति लौकिक: ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
jṣātvā jṣāti-vadhaṁ garhyam
adharmaṁ rājya-hetukam
tato nivṛtto hantāhaṁ
hato ’yam iti laukikaḥ
Synonyms
jṣātvā
—
being aware
;
jṣāti
—
of his relatives
;
vadham
—
the killing
;
garhyam
—
abominable
;
adharmam
—
irreligion
;
rājya
—
to acquire a kingdom
;
hetukam
—
having as the motive
;
tataḥ
—
from such activity
;
nivṛttaḥ
—
retired
;
haratā
—
the killer
;
aham
—
I am
;
hataḥ
—
killed
;
ayam
—
this group of relatives
;
iti
—
thus
;
laukikaḥ
—
mundane .
Translation
On the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra Arjuna thought that killing his relatives would be an abominable, irreligious activity, motivated only by his desire to acquire a kingdom. He therefore desisted from the battle, thinking, “I would be the killer of my relatives. They would be destroyed.” Thus Arjuna was afflicted with mundane consciousness.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Arjuna, knowing that killing his relatives to acquire a kingdom was an abominable, irreligious activity, desisted from the battle, thinking, “I will be the killer of my relatives and they will be killed.” Thus Arjuna was afflicted with material consciousness.
How did Arjuna, desiring to fight, ask this question about vibhūtis? He gave up the battle, knowing it was against dharma to kill relatives for gaining a kingdom. He took on the mood of a material person and thought “I will be the killer and they will be killed.”
Purport
Lord Kṛṣṇa here explains to Uddhava the circumstances in which Śrī Arjuna posed his questions.