Chapter I · Śloka 44
Arjuna uvāca
अहो बत महत्पापं कर्तुं व्यवसिता वयम् |
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ||
यद्राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनमुद्यताः ||
aho bata mahat pāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam |
yad rājya-sukha-lobhena hantuṃ sva-janam udyatāḥ ||
yad rājya-sukha-lobhena hantuṃ sva-janam udyatāḥ ||
Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts — driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, intent on killing our own kinsmen.
The word aho bata — 'alas, how strange' — carries the weight of a man watching himself walk toward catastrophe. Arjuna sees it clearly and yet cannot move. His grief has become its own kind of paralysis.