:: Chapter 2 :: Contents of the Gita Summarized ::

Text 3

klaibyam ma sma gamah partha

naitat tvayy upapadyate

ksudram hrdaya-daurbalyam

tyaktvottistha parantapa

Synonyms

klaibyam--impotence; ma sma--do not; gamah--take to; partha--O son of Prtha; na--never; etat--this; tvayi--unto you; upadyate--is befitting; ksudram--petty; hrdaya--of the heart; daurbalyam--weakness; tyaktva--giving up; uttistha--get up; param-tapa--O chastiser of the enemies.

Translation

O son of Prtha, 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 Prtha, who happened to be the sister of Krisna's father Vasudeva. Therefore Arjuna had a blood relationship with Krisna. If the son of a ksatriya declines to fight, he is a ksatriya in name only, and if the son of a brahmana acts impiously, he is a brahmana in name only. Such ksatriyas and brahmanas are unworthy sons of their fathers; therefore, Krisna did not want Arjuna to become an unworthy son of a ksatriya. Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Krisna, and Krisna 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 Krisna 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 Bhisma and his relatives, but Krisna considered that sort of magnanimity mere weakness of heart. Such false magnanimity was not approved by any authority. Therefore, such magnanimity or so-called nonviolence should be given up by persons like Arjuna under the direct guidance of Krisna.

Text 4

arjuna uvaca

katham bhismam aham sankhye

dronam ca madhusudana

isubhih pratiyotsyami

pujarhav ari-sudana

Synonyms

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; katham--how; bhismam--Bhisma; aham--I; sankhye--in the fight; dronam--Drona; ca--also; madhu-sudana--O killer of Madhu; isubhih--with arrows; pratiyotsyami--shall counterattack; puja-arhau--those who are worshipable; ari-sudana--O killer of the enemies.

Translation

Arjuna said: O killer of enemies, O killer of Madhu, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhisma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship?

Purport

Respectable superiors like Bhisma the grandfather and Dronacarya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Krisna ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sandipani Muni? These were some of the arguments offered by Arjuna to Krisna.