Bhagavad Gita 1.39 is Chapter 1, Verse 39, in Arjuna Vishada Yoga (Arjuna's Dilemma). Below are the Sanskrit text, a transliteration, a plain-English translation and an explanation.
kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ prapaśyadbhir janārdana
"...why should we, who can see the evil in destroying family, not know enough to turn away from this sin, O Janardana?"
What This Means:
Arjuna argues: 'We CAN see clearly (unlike them), so shouldn't we turn back from this sin?' He's using his clarity about consequences as a reason for inaction.
Going Deeper:
Arjuna's logic seems sound but has a fatal flaw: he equates 'seeing bad consequences' with 'this action is wrong.' But difficult actions can be right despite painful consequences. Dharma isn't always comfortable.
How To Apply This:
Seeing clearly the difficulty of an action doesn't automatically make avoiding it the right choice. Sometimes clarity reveals that the hard path is the correct one.
Key Sanskrit Terms: