aho bata mahat pāpaṁ
kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam
yad rājya-sukha-lobhena
hantuṁ sva-janam udyatāḥ
aho - alas; bata - how strange it is; mahat - great; pāpam - sins; kartum - to perform; vyavasitāḥ - have decided; vayam - we; yat - because; rājya-sukha-lobhena - driven by greed for royal happiness; hantum - to kill; sva-janam - kinsmen; udyatāḥ - trying.
Driven by selfish motives, one may be inclined to such sinful acts as the killing of one’s own brother, father or mother. There are many such instances in the history of the world. But Arjuna, being a saintly devotee of the Lord, is always conscious of moral principles and therefore takes care to avoid such activities.