Chapter 2 · Verse 35 · Sankhya Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 2.35
Sanskrit
भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः। येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्।।2.35।।
Transliteration
bhayād raṇād uparataṁ mansyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ yeṣhāṁ cha tvaṁ bahu-mato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam
In plain words
When you're afraid—of judgment, of loss, of not being enough—the first thing you do is abandon yourself. You shrink, you hide, you compromise what you actually believe is right, hoping no one will notice. But Krishna says: the only person who notices is you, and that knowing eats you alive. The path forward isn't about what others think; it's about becoming someone you can respect when you're alone.
हिंदी अर्थ
भय के कारण युद्ध से हट जाने से महान योद्धा तुम्हें कायर समझेंगे। जिन लोगों में तुम्हारा बहुत सम्मान था, वे तुम्हें नीच समझने लगेंगे।
Word by Word
Krishna speaks to Arjuna's deepest fear—that abandoning his duty will diminish his honor among the great warriors he respects. Yet this verse reveals a profound truth: the moment we act from fear rather than dharma, we lose far more than reputation; we lose our own integrity and self-respect.
When we flee from what we are called to do, we become small not in others' eyes, but in our own consciousness. In our modern lives, this teaches us that compromising our values to avoid judgment or conflict always extracts a hidden price—the erosion of our own sense of worth.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 2.35 — BG 2.35
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