Arjuna reaches the furthest point of his despair. He tells Krishna: If the sons of Dhritarashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me on this battlefield — unarmed, offering no resistance — even that would be better for me than fighting.
Imagine the scene. One of the greatest warriors the world has known, the wielder of the Gandiva, the man who earned divine weapons from the gods themselves — and he says he would rather die defenceless than raise his hand against his own family.
This is not a strategic statement. It is not a bargaining position. It is pure, unfiltered grief. Arjuna would accept his own death to avoid causing the death of his kinsmen. After this, there is nothing left to say. The next verse tells us exactly what happens.