Shloka 35
कर्मयोग–ज्ञानयज्ञ–अवतारोपदेश
Karma-Yoga, Jñāna-Yajña, and Avatāra Instruction
भयाद् रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथा: । येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्
bhayād raṇād uparataṁ maṁsyante tvāṁ mahārathāḥ | yeṣāṁ ca tvaṁ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam ||
サンジャヤは言った。「大車戦士たちは、汝が恐れゆえに戦場から退いたと思うであろう。かつて汝を重んじた者たちも、今や汝が取るに足らぬ者へと落ちるのを見て、名誉の衰えを知る。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of reputation and perceived courage in a warrior’s dharma: withdrawing from a righteous battle is not only a personal lapse but is judged socially as fear, leading to loss of honor and moral standing.
Sañjaya reports the warning that if Arjuna retreats from the battlefield, the assembled elite warriors will interpret it as fear-driven withdrawal, and those who once respected him will now regard him as diminished and contemptible.