Verse 2.5 : Sankhya Yoga "Transcendental Knowledge"
“It is better to live in this world even by begging than to slay these noble teachers. By killing them, even though they are driven by greed, I would enjoy wealth and pleasures stained with blood.”
Arjuna continues his defense, stating that he would rather live as a beggar—which was considered highly humiliating for a Kshatriya warrior—than kill Drona and Bhishma. He acknowledges that they are fighting for wealth and power (arthakāmān), yet he argues that any success won through their death would be 'stained with blood' (rudhira-pradigdhān).
Check if you are considering running away from a difficult situation under the guise of 'doing the peaceful thing'.
- Have you ever chosen to escape a difficult responsibility because you feared the emotional cost of facing it?
- What does 'blood-stained pleasure' mean in a modern context (e.g., success achieved at the expense of others)?
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Arjuna's preference for begging shows that he is seeking a way out of his social duty. For a warrior, begging is a violation of his nature (Svadharma), showing how delusion confuses our understanding of right and wrong.