A core teaching · inspiring in mood · easy to enter
“Weakness is optional; the call to act remains.”
Do not yield to weakness, Partha. It does not suit you. Cast off this petty weakness of heart and rise, scorcher of foes.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallydo not · O Partha · not · this · in you · is fitting · petty · weakness of heart · having abandoned · rise · O scorcher of foes
Krishna tells Arjuna not to sink into weakness. He must drop this small-hearted fear and stand up to fight.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 3 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
You are halfway through a hard conversation, your voice starts shaking, and you want to back out. This verse says the collapse is temporary — stand back up and finish what must be done.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from self-doubt to immediate responsibility.
What this verse means
Krishna tells Arjuna not to sink into weakness. He must drop this small-hearted fear and stand up to fight.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has frozen in grief and doubt. Krishna answers sharply, telling him this collapse does not belong to him. The moment demands courage, not self-pity.
Why this verse still matters
You are halfway through a hard conversation, your voice starts shaking, and you want to back out. This verse says the collapse is temporary — stand back up and finish what must be done.
“There is strength in refusing to stay collapsed when duty calls.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses), arjuna (52 verses)