Arjuna’s argument against war reaches its climax in the Na Caitad Vidmah Kataranno Gariyo verse. After explaining his horror at the thought of killing his revered teachers and enjoying a tainted victory, he now arrives at a state of complete intellectual and moral paralysis. He weighs the options before him—to fight or to flee—and finds himself utterly incapable of choosing. This verse is the final, desperate confession of a great mind that has exhausted its own logic and can find no way out of an impossible situation.
Sanskrit Verse
न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।
यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ ६ ॥Transliteration
na caitad vidmaḥ kataranno garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥWord for Word Translation
na — nor; ca — also; etat — this; vidmaḥ — do we know; katarat — which; naḥ — for us; garīyaḥ — is better; yat vā — whether; jayema — we may conquer; yadi vā — or if; naḥ — us; jayeyuḥ — they may conquer; yān — those; eva — certainly; hatvā — by killing; na jijīviṣāmaḥ — we would not wish to live; te — they; avasthitāḥ — are standing; pramukhe — in front; dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ — the sons of Dhritarashtra.
English Translation
Nor do we know which is better for us—conquering them or being conquered by them. If we were to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra who are now standing before us, we would not wish to live.
Explanation
Each Bhagavad Gita verse whispers ancient truths, let’s listen closely with Vedic Stories…
This is the moment of ultimate surrender to uncertainty. Arjuna, the decisive warrior, is now lost in a fog of doubt. His confession breaks down into a few key points of confusion.
- Na caitad vidmaḥ kataranno garīyaḥ: “We do not know which is better.” This is the core admission. All his life, Arjuna has been trained to know the correct path of a warrior. Now, for the first time, his internal compass is broken. He is facing a true moral dilemma where both options seem to lead to ruin, and his own intellect is powerless to determine the superior path.
- Yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ: “Whether we conquer them, or they conquer us.” Arjuna openly acknowledges that victory is not guaranteed. But more importantly, he implies that even if he knew the outcome, it wouldn’t help him choose. Defeat is humiliating, but victory is horrifying.
- Yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas: “Those whom, having killed, we would not wish to live.” He comes back to his most powerful point. The very condition of victory—killing his kinsmen—makes that victory unbearable. This is the paradox that has paralyzed him. The prize of the war is a life he would not want to live, making the entire endeavor seem meaningless and perverse. His duty, his Dharma, has led him to a checkmate.
Conclusion
This verse is the final stop before true surrender. Arjuna has exhausted all his arguments, explored every rational angle, and has arrived at the humbling conclusion that he does not know the answer. He has demonstrated that the problem is beyond the scope of his worldly experience and conventional morality. By admitting “I do not know,” he empties his mind of his own flawed solutions, creating the perfect space for a higher, divine wisdom to enter. His intellectual failure is the necessary prerequisite for his spiritual enlightenment, which begins in the very next verse.
Read Next: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 – Verse 7 – Karpanya Dosopahata Svabhavah
