Sanskrit
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः । निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥
avācyavādāṃś ca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantas tava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim
Translation
Many unseemly words will be spoken by thine enemies, slandering thy strength; what more painful than that?
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The last and sharpest item in the social-cost list: it won’t just be allies who read Arjuna’s withdrawal as weakness — his enemies will have material to mock his competence itself, not just his choice. The rhetorical question closes out verses 34–36 as a single unit, each verse escalating the cost of stepping back. The escalation runs allies → peers → enemies, and the object of contempt narrows from Arjuna’s honour to his sāmarthya, his sheer ability. “What could be more painful?” is left unanswered because, within the warrior’s frame Krishna is arguing inside, nothing is.
Study deeper
Word by word
- avācyavādāṃś ca bahūnअवाच्यवादांश् च बहून्
- many unspeakable words (avācya-vādān + ca + bahūn)
- vadiṣyantiवदिष्यन्ति
- will say
- tavāhitāḥतवाहिताः
- your enemies (tava + ahitāḥ)
- nindantasनिन्दन्तस्
- deriding
- tavaतव
- your
- sāmarthyaṃसामर्थ्यं
- capacity, ability
- tatoततो
- than that
- duḥkhataraṃदुःखतरं
- more painful
- nu kimनु किं
- what is there? (nu + kim)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Read together, verses 34 through 36 map three concentric circles of judgment — one’s own sense of honor, the esteem of peers, and finally the mockery of enemies who have no stake in being fair. Krishna works outward through the full social field a withdrawal would touch, leaving no audience unaccounted for, which is exactly what makes the closing rhetorical question feel earned rather than merely dramatic.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Before making a decision that others will react to, consider how it reads across the full range of people affected — not just those closest to you, but neutral and even hostile observers, since each will interpret the same act differently.
Professional
- Before shipping a decision that will be visible outside your immediate team, think through how it reads to your own team, to peer teams, and to critics or competitors — a decision that looks fine from inside a friendly circle can read very differently to an unsympathetic outside audience.
Family & Social
- Before acting on something that affects a wider family or social circle, consider how it will be read not just by those closest to you but by more distant or even unsympathetic relations — the full range of reactions is worth anticipating, even if it doesn't change what you do.
Ask yourself
A few ways to take this verse past reading. Ticks and the note stay in this browser.