Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 3

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते ।
क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ॥

Transliteration

klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitattvayyupapadyate .
kṣudraṃ hṛdayadaurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa ॥

Meaning

Do not yield to this unmanliness, O Partha; it does not become you. Shake off this petty weakness of heart and arise, O scorcher of foes!

Word meanings

क्लैब्यम् – unmanliness, impotence of spirit, cowardice
मा स्म गमः – do not yield to
पार्थ – O son of Pritha (Kunti)
न – not
एतत् – this
त्वयि – in you, for you
उपपद्यते – is fitting, befits
क्षुद्रम् – petty, mean
हृदयदौर्बल्यम् – weakness of heart
त्यक्त्वा – casting off
उत्तिष्ठ – arise, stand up
परन्तप – O scorcher of enemies

Anvaya (word order)

पार्थ, क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः; एतत् त्वयि न उपपद्यते । परन्तप, क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वा उत्तिष्ठ ।

Explanation

The previous verse was a question; this one is a command. Krishna tells Arjuna not to yield to ‘klaibya’, a harsh word meaning the absence of manly vigour. For a warrior like Arjuna, who had once fought Lord Shiva himself, the word stings — and it is meant to. The sting is intended to wake him.

By calling him ‘Partha’, son of Pritha, Krishna reminds him of his mother Kunti, who had taught her sons to stand firm for dharma. ‘Parantapa’, scorcher of foes, reminds him that courage is his very nature. ‘This does not befit you’ — it is out of keeping with who you truly are.

Krishna calls Arjuna's position ‘kshudram hridaya-daurbalyam’, a petty weakness of heart. In Chapter 1 Arjuna had offered impressive arguments about the destruction of families, the mixing of social orders and the fall of ancestors. Krishna looks past these arguments to the real cause: emotional weakness. Fear dressed in the language of reason is still fear.

‘Uttishtha’ — arise! This single word captures the spirit of the whole Gita. It is a scripture not of escape but of awakening and action. The verse speaks not only to a warrior on a battlefield but to every person who, at some turning point of life, loses heart.

Context

In 2.2 Krishna rebuked Arjuna's delusion; here He commands him to cast off his weakness and rise. In the following verses (2.4–2.8) Arjuna explains his dilemma in detail and finally surrenders as a disciple.

Life lesson

When we feel ourselves crumbling, we must remind ourselves of our true strength and identity. Rather than disguising weakness with lofty arguments, recognise it, let it go, and stand up to do what must be done.

Key terms

Klaibya: unmanliness, loss of courage
Hridaya-daurbalya: weakness of heart; emotional faintness
Parantapa: scorcher of foes — an epithet of Arjuna
Uttishtha: arise — wake up to action