Do not let fear make you abandon your strength.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः ।निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥
avācya-vādāṃś ca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ | nindantas tava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim ||
Use this verse when criticism makes you shrink.
Meaning
Your enemies will speak many insulting words, criticizing your ability. What could be more painful than that?
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna shows the emotional consequence of abandoning one’s strength.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse is not about living under insult. It is about not giving fear the power to rewrite your identity. When you abandon your dharma, criticism hurts more because somewhere inside you know you stepped away from your strength.
Read the traditional commentary
In this verse, Krishna vividly invokes the social consequences of retreat. Arjuna's enemies — the very people he has faced across the battlefield — will not quietly note his withdrawal; they will gleefully mock it. They will question his ability, his courage, and his manhood. The phrase 'avācya-vādān' (unspeakable words, words that shouldn't even be said) suggests the depth of the scorn that enemies will pour upon a retreating hero.
Krishna is appealing to Arjuna's warrior pride with full psychological precision. For a man of Arjuna's stature, being scorned by those he has fought and defeated is uniquely agonizing. There is something particularly bitter about having your greatest opponents — people who know your capacity firsthand — choose to interpret your hesitation as weakness.
The rhetorical question at the end — 'what could be more painful than that?' — drives the point home with force.
Beyond the warrior context, this verse points to a universal truth about how the world interprets retreat. When someone with recognized ability and standing pulls back from a challenge, observers — especially opponents — rarely assume noble motives. They assume the most unflattering explanation available.
This is not merely about ego; it is about the narrative that one's life creates. The actions we take or fail to take become the material from which others construct their understanding of who we are. Being intentional about that narrative — not out of vanity, but out of honesty about our real capabilities and commitments — is part of living with integrity.
In daily life
Stand in your capability even when others doubt you.
A talented creator may stop posting because of trolls; the deeper loss is abandoning their voice.
Try this today
Take one small action that reclaims your strength publicly or privately.
I do not abandon my strength because of fear or criticism.Reflect
Where am I letting criticism decide my courage?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘nindantaḥ’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on courage, in other chapters
Swipe left for 2.37 · When duty is clear, rise beyond fear of outcome.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.36
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.36, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 2.36, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.36 mean?
Your enemies will speak many insulting words, criticizing your ability. What could be more painful than that? (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.36 for daily life?
Stand in your capability even when others doubt you. A talented creator may stop posting because of trolls; the deeper loss is abandoning their voice.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.36 mean?
avācya-vādān — unspeakable words / harsh insults; ca — and; bahūn — many; vadiṣyanti — will say / will speak; tava — your.
Where does verse 2.36 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 36 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.37.