अथ चैत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।2.33।।
अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्।
संभावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते।।2.34।।
भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्।।2.35।।
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून् वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः।
निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्।।2.36।।
हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।।2.37।।
On the other hand, if you do not fight this righteous battle, then you will incur sin, forsaking your own duty and fame.
People also will speak of your unending infamy, and to an honored person, infamy is worse than death.
The great chariot-riders will think of you as having desisted from the fight out of fear, and you will fall into disgrace before them whom you had been estimable to.
And your enemies will speak many indecent words while denigrating your power. What can be more painful than that?
Either by being killed, you will attain heaven, or by winning, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, O Arjuna, rise up with determination to fight.
Osho’s Commentary
If you do not fight this righteous war, then having forsaken your own nature and your honor, you will incur sin. People will speak of your eternal disgrace. And for a man of honor, disgrace is worse than death. They will think you fled from battle out of fear. Your enemies will speak ill of you. What could be more painful than that? Krishna is now using a different kind of argument. He is speaking to Arjuna’s ego as a warrior, to his sense of honor. He knows that the highest truth may be too subtle for Arjuna’s agitated mind. So he uses arguments that Arjuna can understand. He is like a skilled physician who uses different medicines for different stages of a disease. First, he gave the medicine of the highest wisdom. Now, he is giving the more practical medicine of social honor and duty. The goal is the same: to bring Arjuna back to a state of action, of balance, of alignment with his own nature.