Sanskrit
निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रान्नः का प्रीतिः स्याज्जनार्दन । पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्हत्वैतानाततायिनः ॥
nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ
Translation
Slaying these sons of Dhritarâshtra, what pleasure can be ours, O Janârdana? Killing these desperadoes, sin will but take hold of us.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
A notable concession buried in this verse: Arjuna calls the Kauravas “ātatāyinaḥ” — desperate criminals, effectively aggressors — and still concludes that killing them yields only sin, not satisfaction. He isn’t arguing they’re innocent; he’s arguing that even guilt on their side doesn’t make killing them right on his.