2.31
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि ।
धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥
svadharmam api cāvekṣya na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo 'nyat kṣatriyasya na vidyate
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues, and the look turns from the one in the body to the battle that is Arjuna's own.
The verse
And having looked also at your own dharma, you ought not to tremble; for a kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), no better thing than a righteous battle is found.
नेपालीमा
र आफ्नो धर्मलाई पनि हेरेर तिमीले काँप्नु हुँदैन। क्षत्रियका लागि धर्मयुक्त युद्धभन्दा राम्रो अर्को कुरा पाइँदैन।
Where it sits
śreyas (श्रेयस्) is back, the word under the wish to be killed unarmed, and a righteous battle is the better thing for him. The verse tells him to look at his own dharma and not tremble, and it leaves the hell-cascade of chapter 1 where he left it.
Split: स्व-धर्मम् + अपि + च + आवेक्ष्य + न + विकम्पितुम् + अर्हसि + धर्म्यात् + हि + युद्धात् + श्रेयः + अन्यत् + क्षत्रियस्य + न + विद्यते
sva-dharmam + api + ca + āvekṣya + na + vikampitum + arhasi + dharmyāt + hi + yuddhāt + śreyaḥ + anyat + kṣatriyasya + na + vidyate
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| स्व-धर्मम् | sva-dharmam | accusative | your own dharma. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | also. |
| च | ca | indeclinable | and. |
| आवेक्ष्य | āvekṣya | gerund of ā-īkṣ (आ-ईक्ष्) | having looked at. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| विकम्पितुम् | vikampitum | infinitive of vi-kamp (वि-कम्प्) | to tremble. |
| अर्हसि | arhasi | present, 2nd singular | you ought. |
| धर्म्यात् | dharmyāt | ablative | than a righteous one. Agrees with yuddhāt (युद्धात्). |
| हि | hi | indeclinable | for. |
| युद्धात् | yuddhāt | ablative | than a battle. |
| श्रेयः | śreyaḥ | nominative neuter | a better thing. |
| अन्यत् | anyat | nominative neuter | another. |
| क्षत्रियस्य | kṣatriyasya | genitive | of a kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), for him. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| विद्यते | vidyate | present, 3rd singular | is found. |
The phrases
स्वधर्मम् अपि च आवेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुम् अर्हसि svadharmam api ca āvekṣya na vikampitum arhasi is the added look. And having looked also at your own dharma, you ought not to tremble. च + आवेक्ष्य ca + āvekṣya is cāvekṣya (चावेक्ष्य). The api (अपि) marks this as a further look, beside the one in the body.
dharmyāt hi yuddhāt śreyaḥ anyat kṣatriyasya na vidyate (धर्म्यात् हि युद्धात् श्रेयः अन्यत् क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते) is what that look finds. For a kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय), no better thing than a righteous battle is found. धर्म्यात् + हि dharmyāt + hi is dharmyāddhi (धर्म्याद्धि), because त् + ह् t + h becomes ddh (द्ध्). युद्धात् + श्रेयः yuddhāt + śreyaḥ is yuddhāc chreyaḥ (युद्धाच्छ्रेयः). श्रेयः + अन्यत् śreyaḥ + anyat is śreyo 'nyat (श्रेयोऽन्यत्).
Sanskrit in this line
yuddhāt (युद्धात्) is ablative, and the ablative here answers "than." śreyaḥ anyat na vidyate (श्रेयः अन्यत् न विद्यते) needs a standard to be "better than." dharmyāt yuddhāt (धर्म्यात् युद्धात्) is that standard: than a battle, a righteous one. kṣatriyasya (क्षत्रियस्य) is genitive, "for a kṣatriya," the person for whom nothing better is found. Two cases, two jobs. Do not read yuddhāt (युद्धात्) as a locative "in battle."
Say it back
What he has also looked at, and what is not found that is better. The ablative.