2.31 Considering your own duty Krishna speaks
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि
धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाछ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते
swa-dharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyāddhi yuddhāch chhreyo ’nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate
And considering your own duty, you should not waver. For a warrior there is nothing better than a rightful fight.
Explanation
And then the argument changes completely.
Considering your own duty — sva-dharma — you should not waver. For a warrior nothing is better than a rightful fight.
Twenty verses of eternity, and now the appeal is to his job. The Gita argues from several incompatible directions in this chapter and does not rank them.
Word by word
- swa-dharmam
- one’s duty in accordance with the Vedas
- api
- also
- cha
- and
- avekṣhya
- considering
- na
- not
- vikampitum
- to waver
- arhasi
- should
- dharmyāt
- for righteousness
- hi
- indeed
- yuddhāt
- than fighting
- śhreyaḥ
- better
- anyat
- another
- kṣhatriyasya
- of a warrior
- na
- not
- vidyate
- exists
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