Verse 2.35

भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।

येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ॥

2.35

Transliteration

bhayādraṇāduparataṃ maṃsyante tvāṃ mahārathāḥ |

yeṣāṃ ca tvaṃ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam ||

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

Translation

The great car-warriors will think that thou hast withdrawn from the battle through fear; and thou wilt be lightly held by them who have thought much of thee.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

out of fear
from battle
withdrawn
will think
you
the great warriors

by whom
and
you
highly esteemed
having been
will go to
lightness

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

Explanation

The great chariot-fighters, warriors of the highest rank, would conclude that Arjuna fled out of fear. Those who once held him in high regard would think little of him. Krishna anticipates how Arjuna's motives would be misread. Arjuna believes he is acting from compassion, but others would see only cowardice. The verse highlights the gap between inner intention and outer appearance, a theme the Gita takes up later when it teaches that action should spring from clear understanding rather than from emotional confusion.