In the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, after describing the glory and divine opportunity the battle presents, Lord Krishna now reveals the dark alternative. What happens if a warrior deliberately chooses to abandon his duty? The Atha Cet Tvam Imam verse is a direct and severe warning. It outlines the threefold loss—of duty, fame, and piety—that Arjuna will suffer if he gives in to his grief and refuses to fight.
Sanskrit Verse
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ ३३ ॥Transliteration
atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca hitvā pāpam avāpsyasiWord for Word Translation
atha cet — if, however; tvam — you; imam — this; dharmyam — righteous; saṅgrāmam — war; na kariṣyasi — you do not perform; tataḥ — then; sva-dharmam — your own duty; kīrtim ca — and fame; hitvā — having abandoned; pāpam — sin; avāpsyasi — you shall incur.
English Translation
If, however, you do not perform this righteous war, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duty, and thus you will lose your reputation as a fighter.
Explanation
Each Bhagavad Gita verse whispers ancient truths, let’s listen closely with Vedic Stories…
This verse is the logical counterpart to the previous one. The path of glory has been shown; now the path of infamy is revealed. Krishna outlines a clear chain of consequences.
- Na kariṣyasi: “If you do not perform…” The choice is Arjuna’s. Krishna is laying out the results of a specific inaction: refusing to fight in this `dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ`, or righteous war.
- Sva-dharmaṁ… hitvā: “Having abandoned your duty.” The first loss is spiritual. `Sva-dharma` is one’s sacred, personal duty. For a Kshatriya, protecting the citizens and upholding justice is paramount. To abandon this duty is to abandon his very reason for being, a grave spiritual error.
- Kīrtiṁ ca hitvā: “And having abandoned your fame.” The second loss is social. Arjuna was a world-famous hero, renowned for his valor and skill. His `kīrti`, or fame and reputation, was immense. By refusing to fight, he would be branded a coward, and this hard-won reputation would be destroyed. In the Vedic warrior culture, honor and fame were considered treasures of great value.
- Pāpam avāpsyasi: “You shall incur sin.” This is the ultimate consequence. The previous verses established that for a Kshatriya, fighting a righteous war leads to heaven. It follows logically that *not* fighting a righteous war leads to the opposite: `pāpam`, or sin. In this context, inaction is not a neutral choice; it is a sinful one because it is a direct dereliction of one’s prescribed duty.
Conclusion
Krishna has now closed the logical trap. He has shown Arjuna that from the perspective of duty, there is only one righteous path. The alternative is not a peaceful, pious life of renunciation, as Arjuna had imagined, but a life of sin, shame, and spiritual failure. He has blocked all of Arjuna’s exits, leaving him with a stark choice: fight and follow the path of glory and duty, or refuse and accept the path of sin and infamy.
Read Next: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 – Verse 34 – Akirtim Capi Bhutani
