Contact: +91 844 894 1008
अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् |
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्ति र्मरणादतिरिच्यते || 34||
akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām
sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate
BG 2.34: People will speak of you as a coward and a deserter. For a respectable person, infamy is worse than death.
अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् |
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्ति र्मरणादतिरिच्यते || 34||
People will speak of you as a coward and a deserter. For a respectable person, infamy is worse than death.
Sign in to save your favorite verses.
Sign In
Navigate directly to the wisdom you seek
Start your day with the timeless inspiring wisdom from the Holy Bhagavad Gita delivered straight to your email!
For respectable people, social prestige is very important. The particular guṇas (modes of nature) of warriors make respect and honor especially important for them. For them, dishonor is worse than death. Shree Krishna reminds Arjun of this, so that if he is not inspired by superior knowledge, he may at least be inspired by inferior knowledge.
Many societies in the world observe the norm that a warrior who runs away from the battlefield out of cowardice is ostracized from society. That could be the extent of dishonor inflicted upon Arjun if he avoided his duty.