Sanskrit · Devanagari
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि। धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥
Sanskrit · IAST
svadharmamapi cāvekṣya na vikampitumarhasi dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo.anyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate
English witness
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882Having regard to your own duty also, you ought not to falter, for there is nothing better for a Kṣatriya than a righteous battle.
This verse-level alignment is machine-assisted and awaits two independent human checks. Confidence signal: 54%.
Compare readings
29 translations and commentaries are aligned to this verse. Choose up to three; the root verse and Telang witness stay above them.
Śaṅkarācārya
।।2.31।। स्वधर्ममपि स्वो धर्मः क्षत्रियस्य युद्धं तमपि अवेक्ष्य त्वं न विकम्पितुं प्रचलितुम् नार्हसि क्षत्रियस्य स्वाभाविकाद्धर्मात् आत्मस्वाभाव्यादित्यभिप्रायः। तच्च युद्धं पृथिवीजयद्वारेण धर्मार्थं प्रजारक्षणार्थं चेति धर्मादनपेतं परं धर्म्यम्। तस्मात् धर्म्यात् युद्धात् श्रेयः अन्यत् क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते हि यस्मात्।।कुतश्च तत् युद्धं कर्तव्यमिति उच्यते
1d74dd373017…Rāmānuja
2.31 Further, even though there is killing of life in this war which has begun, it is not fit for you to waver, considering your own duty, as in the Agnisomiya and other sacrifices involving slaughter. To a Ksatriya, there is no greater good than a righteous war, begun for a just cause. It will be declared in the Gita: 'Valour, non-defeat (by the enemies), fortitude, adroitness and also not fleeing from battle, generosity, lordliness - these are the duties of the Ksatriya born of his very nature.' (18.43). In Agnisomiya etc., no injury is caused to the animal to be immolated; for, according to the Vedic Text, the victim, a he-goat, after abandoning an inferior body, will attain heaven etc., with a beautiful body. The Text pertaining to immolation declares: 'O animal, by this (immolation) you will never die, you are not destroyed. You will pass through happy paths to the realm of the gods, where the virtuous only reach and not the sinful. May the god Savitr give you a proper place.' (Yaj. 4.6.9.46). Likewise the attainment of more beautiful bodies by those who die here in this war has been declared in the Gita, 'As a man casts off worn-out garments and takes others that are new ৷৷.' (2.22). Hence, just as lancing and such other operations of a surgeon are for curing a patient, the immolation of the sacrificial animal in the Agnisomiya etc., is only for its good.
448d704de35d…Swami Sivananda
2.31 स्वधर्मम् own duty? अपि also? च and? अवेक्ष्य looking at? न not? विकम्पितुम् to waver? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest? धर्म्यात् than righteous? हि indeed? युद्धात् than war? श्रेयः higher? अन्यत् other? क्षत्रियस्य of a Kshatriya? न not? विद्यते is.Commentary Lord Krishna now gives to Arjuna wordly reasons for fighting. Up to this time? He talked to Arjuna on the immortality of the Self and gave him philosophical reasons. Now He says to Arjuna? O Arjuna Fighting is a Kshatriyas own duty. You ought not to swerve from that duty. To a Kshatriyta (one born in the warrior or ruling class) nothing is more welcome than a righteous war. A warrior should fight.
a62bf35b8933…These supplied texts come from the pinned VedicScriptures dataset under GPL-3.0 and await independent alignment review.