Devanagari
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं सङ्ग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ ३३ ॥
Verse text
atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ
saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca
hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi
Synonyms
atha
—
therefore
;
cet
—
if
;
tvam
—
you
;
imam
—
this
;
dharmyam
—
as a religious duty
;
saṅgrāmam
—
fighting
;
na
—
do not
;
kariṣyasi
—
perform
;
tataḥ
—
then
;
sva-dharmam
—
your religious duty
;
kīrtim
—
reputation
;
ca
—
also
;
hitvā
—
losing
;
pāpam
—
sinful reaction
;
avāpsyasi
—
will gain.
Translation
If, however, you do not perform your religious duty of fighting, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
33. If you do not take part in this righteous war, giving up your duty and fame, you will instead reap sin.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
33. If you do not take part in this righteous war, giving up your duty and fame, you will instead reap sin.
Purport
Arjuna was a famous fighter, and he attained fame by fighting many great demigods, including even Lord Śiva. After fighting and defeating Lord Śiva in the dress of a hunter, Arjuna pleased the lord and received as a reward a weapon called pāśupata-astra. Everyone knew that he was a great warrior. Even Droṇācārya gave him benedictions and awarded him the special weapon by which he could kill even his teacher. So he was credited with so many military certificates from many authorities, including his adoptive father Indra, the heavenly king. But if he abandoned the battle, not only would he neglect his specific duty as a kṣatriya, but he would lose all his fame and good name and thus prepare his royal road to hell. In other words, he would go to hell not by fighting but by withdrawing from battle.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In four verses he describes the fault in doing the opposite.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In this and the following verses the Lord shows the faults in not fighting. Giving up your duty of fighting (dharmyam saṁgrāmam) and also the glory attained by pleasing Śiva and killing the Nivāta kavacas and others, [Note: Arjuna went to Mount Kailāsa and pleased Śiva. Śiva bestowed on him his Pāśupata weapon. When Indra was attacked by the Nivātakavacas, he called Arjuna, who killed them all.] you will reap only sin, by neglect of your duty, as such conduct is forbidden by the smṛtis. na nivarteta saṅgrāmād: one should not turn away from battle. (Manu Smṛti 7.88)
Surrender Unto Me
Text 32 spoke of the gains Arjuna could obtain by fighting, and Text 33 describes the losses that he is goig to obtain if he doesn't fight. And the next four verses in addition tell Arjuna's losses if he doesn't do his duties and fight. Because Arjuna here is thinking: "O it is more noble, it is more big hearted to leave the battlefield." But Krsna says: