klaibyaà mä sma gamaù pärthaT
naitat tvayy upapadyate
kñudraà hådaya-daurbalyaà
tyaktvottiñöha parantapa
SYNONYMS
klaibyam—impotence; mä—do not; sma—take it; gamaù—go in; pärtha—O son of
Påthä; na—never; etat—like this; tvayi—unto you; upapadyate—is befitting;
kñudram—very little; hådaya—heart; daurbalyam—weakness; tyaktvä—giving up;
uttiñöha—get up; parantapa—O chastiser of the enemies.
TRANSLATION
O son of Påthä, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you.
Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.
PURPORT
Arjuna was addressed as the "son of Påthä," who happened to be the sister of Kåñëa's
father Vasudeva. Therefore Arjuna had a blood relationship with Kåñëa. If the son of a
ksatriya declines to fight, he is a kñatriya in name only, and if the son of a brähmaëa
acts impiously, he is a brähmaëa in name only. Such kñatriyas and brähmaëas are
unworthy sons of their fathers; therefore, Kåñëa did not want Arjuna to become an
unworthy son of a kñatriya. Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa
was directly guiding him on the chariot; but in spite of all these credits, if Arjuna
abandoned the battle, he would be committing an infamous act; therefore Kåñëa said
that such an attitude in Arjuna did not fit his personality. Arjuna might argue that he
would give up the battle on the grounds of his magnanimous attitude for the most
respectable Bhéñma and his relatives, but Kåñëa considered that sort of magnanimity
not approved by authority. Therefore, such magnanimity or so-called nonviolence
should be given up by persons like Arjuna under the direct guidance of Kåñëa.
