Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 35
भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्।।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्।।
bhayād raṇād uparataṁ mansyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ
yeṣāṁ ca tvaṁ bahu-mato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam
also searched as "bhayad ranad uparatam mansyante tvam maha-rathah"
Translation
The great warriors will think that you have fled from battle out of fear. Those who held you in high esteem will now speak of you disparagingly.
Vāṇi's rendering
The great warriors will say you fled in fear. Those who honoured you will hold you cheap.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भयात्bhayāt | out of fear |
| रणात्raṇāt | from the battle |
| उपरतम्uparatam | withdrawn, having stopped fighting |
| मंस्यन्तेmansyante | they will think, they will conclude |
| त्वाम्tvām | you |
| महारथाःmahā-rathāḥ | the great chariot-warriors |
| येषाम्yeṣām | of those, in whose eyes |
| चca | and |
| त्वम्tvam | you |
| बहुमतःbahu-mataḥ | highly regarded, thought much of (appears as bahu-mato before bhūtvā) |
| भूत्वाbhūtvā | having been |
| यास्यसिyāsyasi | you will come to, you will be reduced to |
| लाघवम्lāghavam | lightness — being held cheap, contempt |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 35 mean?
Krishna tells Arjuna that the great warriors will not read his retreat as compassion. They will read it as fear. And the loss cuts deepest among those who admired him — esteem, once withdrawn, leaves a man lighter than one who was never esteemed at all. Reputation is being shown as a debt, not a possession.
What is the meaning of bhayad ranad uparatam mansyante tvam maha-rathah?
It means the mahā-rathas — the mightiest chariot-warriors, men whose judgement Arjuna cannot dismiss — will conclude he stepped back from battle out of fear. Not that he chose peace. That he was frightened. Krishna names the verdict plainly, because Arjuna's beautiful arguments in Chapter One came after his bow had already slipped.
Is Krishna telling Arjuna to fight just to protect his reputation?
No. This is one argument among many, pitched at the level Arjuna is currently standing on. A warrior who cares about honour is met with honour. Krishna will dismantle that concern later, in the same conversation. But he does not skip a step — he meets you where you actually are.
What does laghavam mean in this verse?
Lāghavam is lightness — but not the good kind. It is the weightlessness of a person whose word no longer carries. Arjuna is heavy in the eyes of these men now. Krishna warns that the fall from that weight is farther than any fall from obscurity, because it is measured against what you were.
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Commentary
Krishna is not appealing to Arjuna's honour. He is showing him the arithmetic of reputation. The men on that field who rate him highest are the very men who will name his withdrawal cowardice — and they will not be entirely wrong, because Arjuna's reasons arrived after his hands shook. Notice the cruelty hidden in bahu-mataḥ: the esteem itself becomes the rod that measures you short. Only those who thought much of you can hold you cheap. This is why the good opinion of others is a poor place to stand. Whatever you withdraw from today, withdraw from it for a reason you had before the fear came.