Verse-33-34
Chapter 2 — Sānkhya Yog
Verse 33-34
🕉 Original Sanskrit Shloka
atha cettvamimam dharmyam saṁgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
tataḥ svadharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ch hitvā pāpamavāpsyasi
akīrtim cāpi bhūtāni kathayişyanti te'vyayām
sambhāvitasya cākīrtirmaraņādatiricyate
🕉 English Translation
Dharma ki ladaye agar na lade,
Toh dharma apna bhi tujh ko khona pade.
Yash tera sab khatam ho jayega,
Nahi paap se phir tu bach payega.
Bahut kaal tak log tere liye,
Kahenge vachan apyash se bhare.
Marne se bhi badh ke hota bura,
Apyash kise bhi bhale purush ka.
📜 Translation
English
If now you do not fight this righteous war then by forsaking your social duty and glory you shall incur sin.
Besides the people will also recount your perpetual dishonour meaning they will criticize you. This kind of dishonour for the respected person is worse than the pain given by death.
There is inspiration in the Gita for every level. It is somewhere in straight sweet words and at other places in the form of warnings. It is somewhere by showing the advantage of higher level of existence and at other places by showing social fear. The purpose is the same; the embodied soul should be able to comprehend and move in the right direction. As the loving inspiration is not working on Arjun, then this hint is given that even if you run away, abandon the battlefield then deliberately, in the minds of those who hold you in high esteem as a great warrior, all of those will speak ill of you, will speak unworthy words. They will consider you as a war deserter at a worldly and social level. That will be more painful than this.