Chapter 2 · Verse 36·Spoken by Krishna
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून् वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः। निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्
avāchya-vādānśh cha bahūn vadiṣhyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantastava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim
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Sanskrit recitation by Swami Brahmānanda
Audio from the Gītā Supersite, IIT Kanpur
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Reading set · 5 translations · 3 commentaries
Translation · 5 voices
And your enemies will speak many indecent words while denigrating your power. What can be more painful than that?
Swami Gambiranandaafter Śaṅkara's bhāṣya· paired with Śaṅkara
Your enemies, slandering your prowess, will use words that should never be uttered. What could be more painful than that?
Swami Adidevanandaafter Rāmānuja's bhāṣya· paired with Rāmānuja
Your enemies will slander your abilities and speak of you in many sayings that should not be spoken. Is there anything more painful than that?
Dr. S. Sankaranarayanafter Madhva's bhāṣya· paired with Madhva
Your enemies, scoffing at your power, will speak many abusive words—what could be more painful than this?
Swami SivanandaThe Bhagavad Gita
Your enemies will spread scandal and mock your courage. Is there anything more humiliating?
Shri Purohit SwamiThe Geeta
Your ill-wishers, your enemies, will speak many unspeakable words, of many kinds, slandering and reviling your strength, your prowess shown against Nivātakavaca and the rest in war. Than the pain of incurring such slander, what greater pain is there? There is no pain harder to bear than that. If, on the other hand, the war is waged.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.
Saying 'how could this Partha stand even a moment in the presence of heroes like us? His power is real only away from our presence', your enemies, the sons of Dhritarashtra, scorning your power, will speak many unspeakable words before the heroes. What greater pain is there than that? At hearing such unspeakable words about yourself, you yourself will think death the better thing. So for a hero, both the slaying of others by himself and the being slain by others are alike for his good. The Lord says this.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.
This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.
Madhvacharya does not comment on this verse.
Contemporary English rendering of the Sanskrit bhāṣya, pending scholar review.