Bhagavad Gita 1.33 · Arjuna
The ones it was all for
येषामर्थे काङ्क्षितं नो राज्यं भोगाः सुखानि च।
त इमेऽवस्थिता युद्धे प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा धनानि च॥
yeṣāmarthe kāṅkṣitaṃ no rājyaṃ bhogāḥ sukhāni cata ime’avasthitā yuddhe prāṇāṃstyaktvā dhanāni ca
The very people for whom we wanted a kingdom, comfort and joy, stand here in battle, ready to give up their lives and wealth.
What it means
Arjuna names the cruel irony. Everything they wanted, they wanted to share. A kingdom to share with family, comforts to enjoy together. And those same people now stand ready to die. Winning would mean ruling an empty house.
The story
For years in exile, the Pandavas dreamed of home. Feasts, reunions, peace. Now Arjuna sees that the victory he hoped for would cost the very people he wanted to celebrate with. The dream is breaking in real time.
In your life
Picture a father working seventy-hour weeks for his kids' future, missing every birthday along the way. The why and the how have drifted apart. Check in this week. Is what you're working for still at the table?
Don't lose the reason in the race.