गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके | हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ||५||
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śhreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣhyam apīha loke hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān
Translation
It is better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great noble souls, my teachers. Even if they be motivated by desire, they are still my superiors. If I kill them, all my enjoyments of wealth and desires will be tainted with blood.
Interpretation
Arjuna would rather beg than kill his teachers. Even if Drona and Bhishma are on the wrong side (motivated by desire for payment or obligation to the king), they remain his superiors. The enjoyment of kingdom that would result from killing them would be permanently tainted. This argument has moral weight, but Krishna will show that personal preferences about 'taint' cannot override dharmic duty.