Verse 2.31

स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि ।

धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥

2.31

Transliteration

svadharmamapi cāvekṣya na vikampitumarhasi |

dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo'nyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Further, having regard to thy duty, shouldst not waver, for there is nothing higher for a Kshatriya than a righteous war.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

own duty
also
and
considering
not
to waver
you should

righteous
for
than a war
better
other
for a kshatriya
not
exists

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Krishna now speaks of svadharma, one's own dharma, the duty that belongs to one's station and nature. For a warrior (kṣatriya), nothing is higher than a battle fought for a just cause. This is a different kind of argument from the earlier one about the self. It appeals to role, responsibility and social order. Krishna tells Arjuna not to waver. Readers have long discussed how the idea of svadharma applies outside an ancient warrior society, but in the dialogue it reminds Arjuna of commitments he had already accepted.