Chapter I · Śloka 34
Arjuna uvāca
एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन |
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ||
अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते ||
etān na hantum icchāmi ghnato 'pi madhusūdana |
api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahī-kṛte ||
api trailokya-rājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahī-kṛte ||
I do not wish to kill them, O Madhusudana, even though they may kill me — not for the dominion of the three worlds, much less for the sake of this earth.
Arjuna extends his renunciation to the extreme: even sovereignty over all three worlds would not justify this slaughter. He addresses Krishna as Madhusudana — slayer of the demon Madhu — without seeing that his own inner demon of delusion is the one that needs slaying.