Bhagavad-gītā 1.39
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
कथं न ज्ञेयमस्माभिः पापादस्मान्निवर्तितुम्। कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं प्रपश्यद्भिर्जनार्दन।।1.39।।
kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum kula-kṣhaya-kṛitaṁ doṣhaṁ prapaśhyadbhir janārdana
why should we, who see the harm caused by family destruction, not turn away from this wrong, O Janardana?
English rendering by Dharma Open School. Original school translation.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| katham | why |
| na | not |
| jñeyam | should be known |
| asmābhiḥ | we |
| pāpāt | from sin |
| asmāt | these |
| nivartitum | to turn away |
| kula-kṣhaya | killing the kindered |
| kṛitam | done |
| doṣham | crime |
| prapaśhyadbhiḥ | who can see |
| janārdana | he who looks after the public, Shree Krishna |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through katham (why), nivartitum (to turn away), and janārdana (he who looks after the public, Shree Krishna). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the crisis that opens the teaching. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 1.39.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Map the battlefield, speakers, relationships and Arjuna’s reasons before reading later answers backward into the crisis.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
why should we, who see the harm caused by family destruction, not turn away from this wrong, O Janardana?
- 2
katham: why
- 3
nivartitum: to turn away
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the battlefield.
Link
Use the line starts: kathaṁ na / kula-kṣhaya-kṛitaṁ doṣhaṁ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.39, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 1.39 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.39 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 1.39 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 1.39, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition