निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन ।पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana |pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ ||
- निहत्य · nihatya
- having slain
- धार्तराष्ट्रान् · dhārtarāṣṭrān
- the sons of Dhritarashtra
- नः · naḥ
- to us, for us
- का · kā
- what
- प्रीतिः · prītiḥ
- joy, satisfaction
- स्यात् · syāt
- could there be
- जनार्दन · janārdana
- O Janardana (Krishna)
- पापम् · pāpam
- sin, evil
- एव · eva
- only, alone
- आश्रयेत् · āśrayet
- would cling to, befall
- अस्मान् · asmān
- us
- हत्वा · hatvā
- having killed
- एतान् · etān
- these
- आततायिनः · ātatāyinaḥ
- felons, aggressors (attackers wielding weapons)
“What joy could be ours, O Janardana, in slaying Dhritarashtra's sons? Sin alone would cling to us for killing these aggressors.”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna concedes the legal point — the Kauravas are ātatāyins, armed aggressors whom law permits killing — then overrides law with conscience: permission is not joy, and victory would taste of sin. It is his strongest moral argument, and Krishna must answer it, not dismiss it.
— Reader's notes (original)