aho bata mahat pÄpaá¹
kartuá¹ vyavasitÄ vayam
yad rÄjya-sukha-lobhena
hantuá¹ sva-janam udyatÄḥ
aho--alas; bata--how strange it is; mahat--great; papam--sins; kartum--to perform; vyavasitah--decided; vayam--we; yat--so that; rajya--kingdom; sukha-lobhena--driven by greed for royal happiness; hantum--to kill; sva-janam--kinsmen; udyatah--trying for.
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts, driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness.
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.
