Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 36
Bhagavad Gītā 2.36: Unkind words
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः ।
निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥
avācyavādāṃśca bahūnvadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ
nindantastava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Your enemies will say many unspeakable things, deriding your ability; what could be more painful than that? This verse ends Kṛṣṇa’s appeal to honour; the next two verses sum up the practical argument and lead into the teaching on equanimity (2.38).
For children
Krishna says: “If you leave, the people on the other side will say mean things and laugh at you. That would really hurt.”
Kṛṣṇa completes his picture of how others would speak of Arjuna if he withdrew from his duty.
Word by word
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून् — Many unkind things
- avācya: not fit to be said
- vāda: word, talk
- bahu: many
वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः — your enemies will say
- vadiṣyanti: will say
- ahita: enemy, one who wishes harm
निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं — mocking your strength
- nindantaḥ: mocking, blaming
- sāmarthya: ability, strength
ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् — what could hurt more than that?
- duḥkhatara: more painful
- kim: what?
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.