2.21 How could such a person kill? Krishna speaks
वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम्
कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम्
vedāvināśhinaṁ nityaṁ ya enam ajam avyayam
kathaṁ sa puruṣhaḥ pārtha kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
One who knows it as imperishable, eternal, unborn and unchanging — how could such a person kill, or cause anyone to be killed?
Explanation
How could such a person kill?
The question is put to Arjuna as one he should be able to answer himself.
And it reframes his objection entirely. He asked whether the act would be right; he is being asked whether the act, as he describes it, is even one he could perform.
Word by word
- veda
- knows
- avināśhinam
- imperishable
- nityam
- eternal
- yaḥ
- who
- enam
- this
- ajam
- unborn
- avyayam
- immutable
- katham
- how
- saḥ
- that
- puruṣhaḥ
- person
- pārtha
- Parth
- kam
- whom
- ghātayati
- causes to be killed
- hanti
- kills
- kam
- whom
Long-press or right-click the image to copy it. Nothing is uploaded — it is drawn here, on your device.