Chapter 2, Verse 3
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥२-३॥
klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣudraṃ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ||2-3||
Meaning
Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha. It does not befit you. Shake off this faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
This verse is among the most electrifying commands in all of sacred literature. Krishna uses two names for Arjuna in quick succession that carry immense weight: 'Pārtha' (son of Pritha, connecting him to his noble lineage) and 'Parantapa' (scorcher of enemies, evoking his prowess). The contrast between what Arjuna is and what he is doing could not be starker. 'Klaibyam' is a strong word — it implies impotence not merely physical but spiritual and moral.
Krishna does not say 'your grief is understandable' or 'take your time.' He says: this weakness is 'kṣudram' — petty, small, unworthy of your soul's actual stature. The teaching here is that our highest identity always exceeds our momentary emotional state. We are larger than our fears.
The command 'uttiṣṭha' — arise — resonates through millennia. It is not a call to brute aggression but to conscious, grounded action rooted in one's true nature. In modern application, whenever we face overwhelming anxiety, grief, or paralysis, this verse is a reminder: the weakness you feel is not who you are. Abandon the smallness. Arise. Act from your deepest capacity, not from your smallest fear.
💡 Key Takeaway
When paralyzed by weakness, remember your true stature and consciously choose to rise beyond petty fear.
Related Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् । अनार्यजुष्टमस्वर्ग्यमकीर्तिकरमर्जुन ॥२-२॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam | anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna ||2-2||
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you at this critical moment? This is not befitting a man who knows what is valuable in life. It does not lead to higher planets but to infamy.
अर्जुन उवाच कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥२-४॥
arjuna uvāca kathaṃ bhīṣmam ahaṃ saṅkhye droṇaṃ ca madhusūdana | iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana ||2-4||
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O destroyer of enemies?
गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥२-५॥
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktum bhaikṣyam apīha loke | hatvārtha-kāmāṃs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān ||2-5||
It would be better to live in this world by begging than to slay these great-souled teachers. Even if they desire worldly gain, they are still my gurus, and if I kill them, every enjoyment here will be stained with their blood.