भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ॥
bhayād raṇād uparataṃ maṃsyante tvāṃ mahārathāḥ |yeṣāṃ ca tvaṃ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam ||
- भयात् · bhayāt
- from fear, out of cowardice
- रणात् · raṇāt
- from battle
- उपरतम् · uparatam
- withdrawn, retreated
- मंस्यन्ते · maṃsyante
- will think
- त्वाम् · tvām
- you
- महारथाः · mahārathāḥ
- the great chariot-warriors
- येषाम् · yeṣām
- by whom, in whose eyes
- च · ca
- and
- त्वम् · tvam
- you
- बहुमतः · bahumataḥ
- highly esteemed
- भूत्वा · bhūtvā
- having been
- यास्यसि · yāsyasi
- you will come to
- लाघवम् · lāghavam
- lightness, insignificance, contempt
“The great warriors will think you withdrew from battle out of fear — and you, so highly esteemed by them, will fall into contempt.”
— Original plain-language translation
The cruellest cut: Arjuna's compassion will be misread as cowardice, and he cannot correct the record. Krishna forces him to weigh inner purity against outer consequence — the very tension karma-yoga will resolve.
— Reader's notes (original)