Bg. 2.36

BG 2.36

Devanagari

अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः । निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्य ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ ३६ ॥

Verse text

avācya-vādāṁś ca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantas tava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkha-taraṁ nu kim

Synonyms

avācya unkind ; vādān fabricated words ; ca also ; bahūn many ; vadiṣyanti will say ; tava your ; ahitāḥ enemies ; nindantaḥ while vilifying ; tava your ; sāmarthyam ability ; tataḥ than that ; duḥkha-taram more painful ; nu of course ; kim what is there.

Translation

Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability. What could be more painful for you?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

36. They will speak many unspeakable words about you, criticizing your abilities. What could be more painful?

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

36. They will speak many unspeakable words about you, criticizing your abilities. What could more painful?

Purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa was astonished in the beginning at Arjuna’s uncalled-for plea for compassion, and He described his compassion as befitting the non-Āryans. Now in so many words, He has proved His statements against Arjuna’s so-called compassion.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

They will speak of you in ill terms (avācya-vādān) such as “coward.”

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

Moreover, your enemies (ahitāḥ), the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, will criticize your previously recognized bravery and call you many displeasing words like “barren sesame seed.” (useless person) What extreme pain you will receive from hearing such displeasing words. Thus, these six verses have shown that avoiding the war will bring about infamy and loss of svarga.

Surrender Unto Me

Krsna continues: "The result of your so‑called compassion O Arjuna is going to be only infamy! Your compassion which is one of your main arguments, you don't want to hurt anyone, and you don't want to cause familly troubles, friends, worshipable superiors troubles, your compassion is going to be understood simply to be weakness and the result will be simply infamy!" Not only that, his second reason, about do not be able to enjoy the kingdom, if the kingdom is won at the coast of the lives of the familly members ‑ Krsna is going to deal with that in the last verses in a great reversal of logic: