Until I think that it is better to be killed without resistance.

Arjuna's logic progresses to the extreme. He says that if his opponent kills him, a person who does not hold weapons and does not resist, then that would be better. In his mind, this is a way to avoid the sin of killing one's own family, save the lives of relatives and friends, and protect the clan from destruction.

However, this is not a universal teaching that encourages everyone to embrace passive death or self-sacrifice. It is a record of the logic constructed by Arjuna who was cornered on the battlefield. While it is a thought born from compassion, it also reflects a deep confusion in which he is willing to abandon his role as a warrior and even his own life. In Chapter 2, Krishna begins to speak in order to unravel this confusion.

Japanese Translation from the Geeta Press Edition - Chapter 1, Section 46: "It is better to be killed without resistance."

If I were to use inappropriate weapons, And the warriors of Dhartarashtra were killed by them, that would be more regrettable. || 46 ||

Vocabulary

yadi means "if".

"mām" means "me."

"apratīkāram" means "one who does not resist."

aśastram means "without weapons," "unarmed."

"śastrapāṇayaḥ" means "those who hold weapons."

"dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ" means "the sons of Dhritarashtra."

raṇe means "on the battlefield."

hanyuḥ is "if you were to kill".

"tan me kṣhemataraṁ bhavet" means "That would be better for me."

Translation

"If the children of Drithlash who have weapons, were to kill me on the battlefield without resistance, without holding any weapons themselves, that would be a better thing for me."

Annotative Translation

Here, Arjuna says the following:

Even after a war has begun, if one were to abandon weapons and offer no resistance whatsoever to the enemy, perhaps the enemy would also cease fighting.

As a result, the lives of all relatives and friends will be saved.

However, if they do not take that path, and Arjuna does not wield his weapons, and if they see that he has no intention of fighting, yet they still attack and kill him, then such a death would be a blessed one for him.

Because, in that case, firstly, he can avoid being involved in the serious crime of killing an entire clan.

Secondly, the lives of all relatives and friends will be saved.

Thirdly, Because he saves his family from destruction with great virtue, it becomes easier for him to reach the highest realm.

In Arjuna's heart, it was clear that dying without showing any resistance would lead to both the protection of his clan and his own highest good.

Therefore, he said that such a death would be "more desirable" for him.