CHAPTER - 2, SANKHYA YOGA, VERSE : 2.31 - 2.40 📕

Verse 2.31 - 2.32

swa-dharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi

dharmyāddhi yuddhāch chhreyo ’nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate

yadṛichchhayā chopapannaṁ swarga-dvāram apāvṛitam

sukhinaḥ kṣhatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛiśham

English Translation ⬇️

As a warrior, it's important to stay strong and not doubt yourself. There is no greater purpose for a warrior than to fight for what is right.

Hey Arjuna, warriors are lucky when they get the chance to defend what is right without looking for it. It leads them to a better place in the heavens.

Lesson to learn

Swa-dharma means one's personal duty. According to the Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures), each person has two types of duties: para dharma (spiritual duties) and apara dharma (worldly or material duties).

• Para Dharma (Spiritual Duties) - If a person identifies with their soul, their main duty is to love and serve God with devotion. This is their spiritual duty.
• Apara Dharma (Material Duties) - If a person sees themselves mainly as their body, the Vedas give them duties based on their stage of life (ashram) and their work (varna). These are practical duties to follow in daily life.

Just doing your duties isn’t a spiritual act and won’t help you realize God. While these duties can lead to good things in life, Shree Krishna tells Arjun that he still needs to stand up for what is right, even if he’s not focused on spiritual matters.

The Bhagavad Gita encourages people to take action rather than do nothing. Some may think that following spiritual teachings means they should stop working. But throughout the text, Shree Krishna tells Arjun to keep doing his job as a warrior. The change he wants to see in Arjun is not about giving up his work but about changing how he thinks about his responsibilities.

Shree Krishna explains that ignoring his duties can lead to bad results for both Arjun and society. This shows how important it is to keep fulfilling your responsibilities while also trying to grow spiritually. Essentially, you can be fully engaged in your work and still work on your spiritual understanding.

Verse 2.33 - 2.37

atha chet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣhyasi

tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ cha hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi

akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām

sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate

bhayād raṇād uparataṁ mansyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ

yeṣhāṁ cha tvaṁ bahu-mato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam

avāchya-vādānśh cha bahūn vadiṣhyanti tavāhitāḥ

nindantastava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim

hato vā prāpsyasi swargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣhyase mahīm

tasmād uttiṣhṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛita-niśhchayaḥ

English Translation ⬇️

If you choose not to fight in this war and ignore your responsibility and good name, you will definitely do something wrong.

People will call you a scared person and someone who runs away, for a good person, being known as bad is worse than dying.

The great leaders who respect you will believe that you ran away from the fight because you were scared, and they will no longer respect you.

Your enemies will speak badly about you and try to insult you with hurtful words, making you feel weak, unfortunately, there’s nothing more painful than that.

If you go into battle, you might get killed and go to heaven, or you might win and enjoy your kingdom here on Earth. So, get up with determination, O son of Kunti, and get ready to fight.

Lesson to learn

The lesson in this text is about the importance of doing your duties, especially when things get tough. It shows that running away from your responsibilities out of fear can lead to shame and losing respect from others. A warrior like Arjun needs to understand that avoiding battle is not just a failure for himself; it affects how others view him.

Real honor comes from facing challenges and doing what is right, even when it’s hard. Shree Krishna reminds Arjun that his job is to protect his people. If he gives up on this duty, he will disappoint himself and lose the respect of others.

The text also says that if Arjun fights bravely, he could gain a kingdom, and if he dies in battle, he will go to a good place after life. This teaches us that being brave and doing our duties is very important. We should try to stick to our responsibilities, help others, and act with honor. Doing these things shows who we are and helps us live a fulfilling life. In the end, facing our responsibilities with courage brings respect and a sense of achievement.

Verse 2.38 - 2.40

sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau

tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi

eṣhā te ’bhihitā sānkhye buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śhṛiṇu

buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma bandhaṁ prahāsyasi

nehābhikrama-nāśho ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyate

svalpam apyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt

English Translation ⬇️

Do your duty without worrying about happy or sad, loss or gain, or victory and defeat. If you fulfill your responsibilities this way, you will not do anything wrong.

So far, I have talked to you about Sānkhya Yog, which is about understanding the nature of the soul. Now, listen, Parth, as I explain Buddhi Yog, which is the path of using your intellect. When you work with this understanding, you will be free from the ties of your actions (karma).

When you are in this state of awareness, you won’t lose anything or face bad outcomes. Even a small effort can protect you from big dangers.

Lesson to learn

Shree Krishna helps Arjun understand work better. Arjun is scared that killing enemies will make him sinful. Krishna tells him to focus on doing his duty without worrying about the results. If he acts without selfish motives, he won't create bad karma. But if we act without selfish motives, our actions won’t create karma. For example, if a policeman kills a bad person while doing his job, he is not punished. The same is true for soldiers in battle. They are not acting for personal reasons; they are doing their duty. If we work for a higher purpose without selfishness, our actions won’t have bad results.

Krishna explains that if you do good things, you go to good places; if you do bad things, you go to bad places. If you mix both, you return to Earth. This means our actions matter, and even good deeds can tie us to the world. If Arjun fights calmly, seeing success and failure as the same, he won’t be sinful. Krishna calls this the “Yoga of Intellect,” which helps us detach from our desires.

We need to be careful because we might not get another human life. If we only focus on basic things like eating and sleeping, we risk being reborn as animals. The Vedas warn that we should use our human life wisely. If we start to practice spirituality, even if we don’t finish in this life, God gives us another chance to be human. Krishna assures us that no effort in spiritual practice is wasted. After explaining these ideas, Krishna begins teaching Arjun how to work without attachment.