129.  The meaning is that even for the sake of such a rich reward in prospect I would not kill persons so dear and near to me.  I would much rather suffer them strike me, myself not returning their blows.

130.  The word is atatayinas.

131.  Most editions read savandhavam “with (their) kinsmen or friends,” I think, however, that swa (own) for (with) is the correct reading.  K. T. Telang adopts it in his translation published ill Vol.  VIII of the Sacred Books of the East.

132.  In some editions this lesson is stated to be “Arjuna’s grief.”  The description of the lesson again is given in fewer words.

133.  The commentators betray their ingenuity by emphasizing the word ishubhis (with arrows), explaining, “how can I encounter them with arrows whom I cannot encounter with even harsh words?”

134.  Arthakaman is an adjective qualifying Gurun.  Some commentators particularly Sreedhara, suggest that it may, instead, qualify bhogan.  The meaning, however, in that case would be far-fetched.

135.  Sreedhara explains that Karpanya is compassion (for kinsmen), and dosha is the fear of sin (for destroying a race).  The first compound, therefore, according to him, means,—­“My nature affected by both compassion and fear of sin, etc.  It is better, however, to take Karpanya itself as a dosha (taint or fault).  K. T. Telang understands it in this way.  Upahata, however, is affected and not contaminated.

136.  What Arjuna says here is that “Even if I obtain such a kingdom on Earth, even if I obtain the very kingship of the gods, I do not yet see that will dispel that grief which will overtake me if I slay my preceptor and kinsmen.”  Telang’s version is slightly ambiguous.

137.  The Bengal texts have Parantapa with a Visarga, thus implying that it refers to Gudakesa.  The Bombay edition prints it without the Visarga, implying that it is in the vocative case, referring to Dhritarashtra, the listener.

138.  One of the most useful rules in translating from one language into another is to use identical words for identical expressions in the original.  In translating, however, from a language like Sanskrit which abounds in synonyms, this is not always practicable without ambiguity.  As an example, the word used in 13 is Dhira; that used in 11 is Pandita.  There can be little doubt, however, that Pandita and Dhira have exactly the same meaning.

139.  Amritatwa is really emancipation or non-liability to repeated death or repeated rebirth.  To render it as “immortality” is, perhaps, a little slovenly, for every soul is immortal, and this particular section inculcates it.

140.  Sat and asat are the two words which must be distinctly understood as they occur often in Hindu philosophy.  Sat is explained as the real, i.e., the soul, or anything as real and permanent as the soul.  Asat is the reverse of this, i.e., the unreal or the Non-soul.  What is said here by Krishna is that the unreal has no existence; the real, again can have no non-existence.  Is not this a sort of cosmothetic idealism?