न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः ।यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषामस्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ |yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ ||
- न · na
- not
- च · ca
- and
- एतत् · etat
- this
- विद्मः · vidmaḥ
- we know
- कतरत् · katarat
- which (of the two)
- नः · naḥ
- for us
- गरीयः · garīyaḥ
- weightier, better
- यत् · yat
- whether
- वा · vā
- or
- जयेम · jayema
- we should conquer
- यदि · yadi
- if
- वा · vā
- or
- नः · naḥ
- us
- जयेयुः · jayeyuḥ
- they should conquer
- यान् · yān
- whom
- एव · eva
- even
- हत्वा · hatvā
- having slain
- न · na
- not
- जिजीविषामः · jijīviṣāmaḥ
- we would wish to live
- ते · te
- they
- अवस्थिताः · avasthitāḥ
- stand arrayed
- प्रमुखे · pramukhe
- in front, facing us
- धार्तराष्ट्राः · dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
- the sons of Dhritarashtra
“Nor do we know which is better for us — that we conquer them, or they conquer us. For facing us stand Dhritarashtra's sons, after slaying whom we would not wish to live.”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna confesses total moral vertigo: victory and defeat have become indistinguishable. This admission of not-knowing is the doorway — a teacher can only enter where certainty has collapsed.
— Reader's notes (original)