The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.
Arjuna's Fallacy- slokas 31-46
Chapter 1 - Sloka 36
Nihatya dhartarashtran nah ka pritihih syat janardana I
papam eva ashrayet asman hatva etan atatayinah II sloka 36
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान नः का प्रीतिः स्यात् जनार्दन ।
पापं एव आश्रयेत अस्मान हत्वा एतान् आततायिनः ।। श्लोक ३६
What delight can we derive, O Janardana, by doing away with those sons of Dhritrashtra? Sin only will accrue to us for slaying these desperadoes.
Janardana is yet another popular name of Shri Krishna meaning "a person who is worshipped by people for prosperity and emancipation"
An "atatayin" is here translated as desperado. There is no criminal offence to which he is stranger. The rival cousins have all been confirmed desperadoes. They secretly set fire to the residence where the Pandavas were expected to be sleeping; they surreptitiously tried to poison the food of the bitterly hated cousins; with drawn swords, openly they attempted murder of the legitimate heirs to the throne; deceitfully they tried to deprive the Pandavas of their kingdom, wealth and wife. Death is the reward that Dharma deals to the atatayins even if they happen to be learned. But Arjuna overwhelmed with sentimental commiseration, seeks to save instead of slaughtering them in open war.
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