🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 2.35
Chapter 2 · सांख्ययोग · Sāṅkhya-Yoga · "The Yoga of Knowledge" · Verse 35 of 72
🪷 English Translations
5 received English translations are available for this śloka. Each voice is labelled; no single rendering is presented as the Sanskrit itself.
Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 edition attribution in the received data
2.35 Great generals will think that thou hast fled from the battlefield through cowardice; though once honoured thou wilt seem despicable.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
2.35 The great car-warriors will think that thou hast withdrawn from the battle through fear; and thou wilt be lightly held by them who have thought much of thee.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
2.35 Moreover, maharathah, the great chariot-riders, Duryodhana and others; mamsyante, will think; tvam, of you; as uparatam, having desisted; ranat, from the fight; not out of compassion, but bhayat, out of fear of Karna and others; ca, and ; yasyasi laghavam, you will again fall into disgrace before them, before Duryodhana and others; yesam, to whom; tvam, you; bahumato bhutva, had been estimable as endowed with many alities.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
2.35 Great warriors like Karna, Duryodhana, etc., hitherto held you in high esteem as a heroic enemy. Now by refraining from battle when it has begun, you will appear to them as despicable and easily defeatable. These great warriors will think of you as withdrawing from battle out of fear. Because turning away from battle does not happen in the case of brave enemies through affection etc., for relatives. It can happen only through fear of enemies.
Moreover
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
2.35. The mighty charioteers will think of you as having withdrawn from the battle out of fear : having been highly regarded by these men, you shall be viewed lightly.
🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद
Received Hindi rendering attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi rendering · source-data attribution
।।2.35।। महारथीलोग तुझे भयके कारण युद्धसे उपरत (हटा) हुआ मानेंगे। जिनकी धारणामें तू बहुमान्य हो चुका है, उनकी दृष्टिमें तू लघुताको प्राप्त हो जायगा।
🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices
5 received English commentary layers are available for this śloka. Open only the voice you wish to study.
Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
2.35 भयात् from fear? रणात् from the battle? उपरतम् withdrawn? मंस्यन्ते will think? त्वाम् thee? महारथाः the great carwarriors? येषाम् of whom? च and? त्वम् thou? बहुमतः much thought of? भूत्वा having been? यास्यसि will receive? लाघवम् lightness.Commentary Duryodhana and others will certainly think that you have fled from the battle from fear of Karna and others? but not through compassion and reverence for elders and teachers. Duryodhana and others who have shown great esteem to you on account of your chivalry? bravery and other noble alities? will think very lightly of you and treat you with contempt.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
2.35 Moreover, maharathah, the great chariot-riders, Duryodhana and others; mamsyante, will think; tvam, of you; as uparatam, having desisted; ranat, from the fight; not out of compassion, but bhayat, out of fear of Karna and others; ca, and ; yasyasi laghavam, you will again fall into disgrace before them, before Duryodhana and others; yesam, to whom; tvam, you; bahumato bhutva, had been estimable as endowed with many alities.
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
2.35 Great warriors like Karna, Duryodhana, etc., hitherto held you in high esteem as a heroic enemy. Now by refraining from battle when it has begun, you will appear to them as despicable and easily defeatable. These great warriors will think of you as withdrawing from battle out of fear. Because turning away from battle does not happen in the case of brave enemies through affection etc., for relatives. It can happen only through fear of enemies.
Moreover
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
2.35 See Comment under 2.37
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।2.35।। भावी इतिहास में तो तुम्हारी अपकीर्ति बनी रहेगी ही परन्तु वर्तमान में भी शत्रु पक्ष के ये महारथी तुम्हारा उपहास करेंगे। इस भ्रातृहन्ता युद्ध से तुम्हें जो दुख है उसे न समझकर वे तो यही मानेंगे कि तुमने भय और कायरता के कारण युद्ध से पलायन किया है। इस प्रकार का अनादरपूर्ण कायरता का आरोप कोई भी वीर पुरुष सहन नहीं कर सकता विशेषरूप से जब अपने ही तुल्य बल के शत्रुओं द्वारा वह किया गया हो। और
🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या
Received Hindi vyākhyā attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.
🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi vyākhyā · source-data attribution
2.35।। व्याख्या-- 'भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः'-- तू ऐसा समझता है कि मैं तो केवल अपना कल्याण करनेके लिये युद्धसे उपरत हुआ हूँ; परन्तु अगर ऐसी ही बात होती और युद्धको तू पाप समझता, तो पहले ही एकान्तमें रहकर भजन-स्मरण करता और तेरी युद्धके लिये प्रवृत्ति भी नहीं होती। परन्तु तू एकान्तमें न रहकर युद्धमें प्रवृत्त हुआ है। अब अगर तू युद्धसे निवृत्त होगा तो बड़े-बड़े महारथीलोग ऐसा ही मानेंगे कि युद्धमें मारे जानेके भयसे ही अर्जुन युद्धसे निवृत्त हुआ है। अगर वह धर्मका विचार करता तो युद्धसे निवृत्त नहीं होता; क्योंकि युद्ध करना क्षत्रियका धर्म है। अतः वह मरनेके भयसे ही युद्धसे निवृत्त हो रहा है।
'येषाँ च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्'-- भीष्म, द्रोणाचार्य, कृपाचार्य, शल्य आदि जो बड़े-बड़े महारथी है, उनकी दृष्टिमें तू बहुमान्य हो चुका है अर्थात् उनके मनमें यह एक विश्वास है कि युद्ध करनेमें नामी शूरवीर तो अर्जुन ही है। वह युद्धमें अनेक दैत्यों, देवताओं, गन्धर्वों आदिको हरा चुका है। अगर अब तू युद्धसे निवृत्त हो जायगा, तो उन महारथियोंके सामने तू लधुता-(तुच्छता-) को प्राप्त हो जायगा अर्थात् उनकी दृष्टिमें तू गिर जायगा।
🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā
- This is verse 35 of 72 in Chapter 2 · Sāṅkhya-Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge)
- Chapter theme: Grief and surrender · dehin · buddhi-yoga · niṣkāma-karma · sthita-prajñā
- Ṣaṭka grouping: TVAM-Ṣaṭka (BG 1-6 · the jīva)
- Adhyāya reader: Bhagavad-Gītā 2 · Sāṅkhya-Yoga
- Vidhyamitra study companion: Sāṅkhya-Yoga thematic reading
- ⭐ Mahābhārata anchor: this verse is also MBh 6.24.35 (Bhīṣma-Parva · the BG in its full narrative home)
📚 Cite this verse · Academic citation formats
APA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. (n.d.). Bhagavad-Gītā 2.35. Vidhyāmitra. Retrieved 2026-08-17, from https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/35
Chicago: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 2.35." Vidhyāmitra. Accessed 2026-08-17. https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/35.
MLA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 2.35." Vidhyāmitra, 2026, https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/35.
Canonical reading URL: https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/35. This citation identifies Vidhyamitra's received digital witness; consult a named scholarly or printed edition when edition-specific authority is required.
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Source and edition boundary
This page is rendered from the pinned 701-address witness documented on the Gītā index. Publication and search-indexing authorization for every bundled translation and commentary layer was confirmed on 4 August 2026; the exact received recension boundary remains disclosed separately.
🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷
सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)