Text 7
jñātvā jñāti-vadhaṁ garhyam
adharmaṁ rājya-hetukam
tato nivṛtto hantāhaṁ
hato ’yam iti laukikaḥ
jñātvā — being aware; jñāti — 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.
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.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here explains to Uddhava the circumstances in which Śrī Arjuna posed his questions.