1.34
एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन | अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ||३४||
etān na hantum ichchhāmi ghnato'pi madhusūdana api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahī-kṛte
Translation
I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. O Madhusudana, what pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhritarashtra?
Interpretation
Even sovereignty over all three worlds (heaven, earth, and the underworld) cannot justify killing these beloved ones. Arjuna's sense of proportion is not wrong — the question of what justifies violence is a genuine moral question. Krishna's answer will be that duty, when properly understood through self-knowledge, transcends personal preference.