Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 1, Verse 35

एतान्न हन्तुमिच्छामि घ्नतोऽपि मधुसूदन । अपि त्रैलोक्यराज्यस्य हेतोः किं नु महीकृते

etānna hantumicchāmi ghnato'pi madhusūdana | api trailokyarājyasya hetoḥ kiṃ nu mahīkṛte

Translation

These, O slayer of Madhu, I do not wish to kill, though they kill me, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds; how much less for the sake of the earth!

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

etān

these

na

not

hantum

to kill

icchāmi

(I) wish

ghnataḥ

slaying

api

although (i.e. although they be slaying me)

madhusūdana

O Madhusūdana

api

even

trailokyarājyasya

of three worlds, of kingdom

hetoḥ

of cause (for the sake of)

kim

how

nu

then

mahīkṛte

of earth, for the sake