कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम् ।कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन ॥
kathaṃ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum |kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ prapaśyadbhir janārdana ||
- कथम् · katham
- how, why
- न · na
- not
- ज्ञेयम् · jñeyam
- to be known, understood (as our duty)
- अस्माभिः · asmābhiḥ
- by us
- पापात् · pāpāt
- from sin, evil
- अस्मान् · asmān
- ourselves
- निवर्तितुम् · nivartitum
- to turn back, refrain
- कुलक्षयकृतम् · kulakṣayakṛtam
- caused by destroying the family
- दोषम् · doṣam
- the evil
- प्रपश्यद्भिः · prapaśyadbhiḥ
- by us who see clearly
- जनार्दन · janārdana
- O Janardana (Krishna)
“Why should we not know to turn back from this sin — we who clearly see the evil caused by destroying the family, O Janardana?”
— Original plain-language translation
The contrast completes: their blindness excuses nothing in us, because sight obligates. Arjuna claims the moral high ground of clear vision — the Gita's reply will be that his vision, though sincere, is still partial.
— Reader's notes (original)