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Chapter 2 · Verse 34 · Sankhya Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 2.34

urgent Dharma & Duty Self & Identity Karma & Action

Sanskrit

अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्। संभावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते।।2.34।।

Transliteration

akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate

हिंदी अर्थ

लोग तुम्हारी बदनामी का जिक्र करेंगे और सम्मानित व्यक्ति के लिए बदनामी मौत से भी बुरी होती है।

Word by Word

akīrtim infamy
cha and
api also
bhūtāni people
kathayiṣhyanti will speak
te of your
avyayām everlasting
sambhāvitasya of a respectable person
cha and
akīrtiḥ infamy
maraṇāt than death
atirichyate is greater
Simplified Perspective

Krishna speaks here not to shame Arjuna, but to awaken him to the living consequences of his choices. When a person of standing abandons their sacred duty, that betrayal echoes through generations—people speak of it, remember it, learn the wrong lesson from it.

The infamy of a broken vow outlasts the body itself. Yet understand this: Krishna offers this not as punishment, but as love—showing Arjuna that his true honor lies not in avoiding death, but in meeting his dharma with unwavering presence, which transforms even death into dignity.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 2.34 — BG 2.34

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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