Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse etc.) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)
- atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ
- saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
- tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca
- hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi
- (BG 2.33)
Translation: "If, however, you do not fight this religious war, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter."
Prabhupāda:
- atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ
- saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
- tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca
- hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi
- (BG 2.33)
So, imaṁ dharmyam, religious fight. Just like even nowadays also, if the soldier disobeys the order of the commander, that soldier is shot down by martial law. Because to disobey the order of the commander is sinful. So Kṛṣṇa says, atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi. This fight is not ordinary fight. It is not the politician's fight. "For the sake of religion, you must fight. And if you do not, then sva-dharmam . . . you are a kṣatriya. Not only kṣatriya, you are a very well known fighter. You have been recognized by so many demigods."
Arjuna got the pāśupata-astra. To test Arjuna's fighting capacity, sometimes Lord Śiva, when Arjuna was hunting in the forest, so Lord Śiva also, as a hunter, he appeared before him, and when a boar was killed by hunting, Lord Śiva claimed that "I have done this killing." Arjuna said, "No, I have done this." So there was controversy, who will claim that hunt, I mean to say, killed animal. So Arjuna was claiming and Lord Śiva, as a hunter, he was also claiming. Then there was fight between Lord Śiva and Arjuna. So Lord Śiva was defeated. So he then disclosed his identity, that "I am very much pleased that you such a nice fighter." So he presented him one arrow which is called pāśupata-astra. Similarly, he sometimes fought with Indra. He gave him some astra, weapon. This was the system, that a kṣatriya is presented with a kind of weapon, a brāhmaṇa is presented with Vedas, and so far vaiśyas and śūdras are concerned, they are not very important.
So Arjuna was recognized by Lord Śiva, by King Indra and many others also. So Kṛṣṇa says that "You have got recognition from big personalities. So if you don't fight, then not only you should be irreligious, but also you'll lose your reputation." Tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi. Pāpam means sin or sinful reaction. So it has to be judged, when . . . sometimes fighting is pāpam, means sinful activity, and sometimes fighting is puṇyam, pious activities. It requires the time, circumstances, on what ground the fighting was going on, on whose order the fighting was going on. These are to be studied.
So violence and nonviolence. Our great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted to prove from Bhagavad-gītā nonviolence. He started the nonviolence movement, and he wanted to support . . . everyone takes advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and tries to support his view on the strength of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore you will find so many interpretation. Everyone wants to utilize. There are more than six hundred publication, commentaries, on Bhagavad-gītā. One Dr. Rele in Bombay, he has interpreted Bhagavad-gītā as talks between a physician and a patient.