अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं सङ्ग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥
atha cet tvam imaṃ dharmyaṃ saṅgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi |tataḥ svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi ||
- अथ · atha
- but, now
- चेत् · cet
- if
- त्वम् · tvam
- you
- इमम् · imam
- this
- धर्म्यम् · dharmyam
- righteous, lawful
- सङ्ग्रामम् · saṅgrāmam
- battle, war
- न · na
- not
- करिष्यसि · kariṣyasi
- you will fight, wage
- ततः · tataḥ
- then
- स्वधर्मम् · svadharmam
- own duty
- कीर्तिम् · kīrtim
- honour, glory
- च · ca
- and
- हित्वा · hitvā
- having abandoned
- पापम् · pāpam
- sin
- अवाप्स्यसि · avāpsyasi
- you will incur
“But if you will not fight this righteous battle, then abandoning your duty and honour, you will incur sin.”
— Original plain-language translation
The mirror of Arjuna's own charge (1.36): it is refusal, not fighting, that incurs sin here. Krishna turns the accusation around — inaction chosen from confusion is itself an act with consequences.
— Reader's notes (original)