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 ||
Sanjaya disse: “Os grandes guerreiros de carro pensarão que te afastaste da batalha por medo. E aqueles em cujos olhos foste outrora muito estimado agora te verão cair na insignificância — tua honra diminuída.”
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.