एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन ।अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ॥
etān na hantum icchāmi ghnato 'pi madhusūdana |api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahīkṛte ||
- एतान् · etān
- these
- न · na
- not
- हन्तुम् · hantum
- to kill, slay
- इच्छामि · icchāmi
- I wish, desire
- घ्नतः · ghnataḥ
- though killing (me), even if they slay
- अपि · api
- even, although
- मधुसूदन · madhusūdana
- O Madhusudana (slayer of Madhu — Krishna)
- अपि · api
- even
- त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य · trailokyarājyasya
- for the kingship of the three worlds
- हेतोः · hetoḥ
- for the sake of
- किम् · kim
- what (then)
- नु · nu
- indeed (emphatic)
- महीकृते · mahīkṛte
- for the sake of the earth (this paltry kingdom)
“These I do not wish to kill, O Madhusudana, even if they kill me — not even for the kingship of the three worlds, let alone for this earth.”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna's refusal scales up to the cosmic: not for heaven and earth combined. Addressing Krishna as 'slayer of Madhu' is pointed — you are the killer of demons, he implies; must I become one too? The argument peaks here before turning to sin and duty.
— Reader's notes (original)