Chapter2- Sloka 36
avācya vādāṃśca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ |
nindantas tava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim || 36 ||
(2.36)
tava ahitāḥ- Your enemies like Duryodhana and others; nindantaḥ- will slander; tava sāmarthyaṃ- your prowess; vadiṣyanti- will speak; bahūn avācya vādāṇ ca- using words which should never be uttered from one's mouth; kim nu- what can be more; duḥkhataraṃ- painful; tataḥ- than that;
Purport
In the previous śloka, Kṛṣṇa reminded Arjuna of all the harm caused by Duryodhana and others to him and his family in the past with the word 'yeṣāṃ' and concluded the śloka with the words 'yāsyasi lāghavam' warning Arjuna that they will demean him as a coward. In this ślokā, Kṛṣṇa elaborates on the harm they would cause to Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa says, "Your enemies like Duryodhana will slander your prowess and speak harsh words about you which are not supposed to be uttered by anyone. What can be more painful than that, O Arjuna!"
avācya vādāṃśca bahūn vadiṣyanti 'This Arjuna cannot withstand great warriors like us even for a few seconds'. 'All his heroism is displayed only in front of cowards'. Insults like these will be hurled at you, O Arjuna!
avācya vādāṃśca They will utter words about you fit to be used only for cowards and not heroic men. They
will hurl abuses and insults at you which will be unbearable to the ears.
bahūn vadiṣyanti They will make not just one or two, but countless such statements about you.
Q: If Arjuna might ask why they would speak that way?
A: Kṛṣṇa's answer is tava ahitāḥ. 'These evil sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra are your enemies who are eagerly waiting for your defeat and downfall, O Arjuna!'.
Q: What harm will criticism by evil people cause to me?
A: Kṛṣṇa's answer is nindantas tava sāmarthyaṃ. 'Arjuna, if you are thinking that criticism from such evil
people cannot affect you in any way, you must rethink about it. These evil people will start making
derogatory remarks about your strength and capabilities. Why should you even allow them to ridicule you?
tava sāmarthyaṃ nindantaḥ tava ahitāḥ vadiṣyanti 'To bear harsh words from mighty warriors like grandsire Bhīsma, guru Droṇa, Kṛpa and others who are worthy of reverence is one thing, but to tolerate such ridicule about your capabilities from your enemies who are not warriors of repute but claim to be so, will be very difficult for you.
tava sāmarthyaṃ You will have to bear such harsh criticism. You are neither a yogi nor an ordinary
passerby but a mighty hero of great repute whose reputation will be tarnished.
Q: If you still ask what will be the loss because of this?
A: Kṛṣṇa's answer is tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim. 'Can there be anything which can cause more pain than
these words of mockery? Arjuna, if you are still not convinced about the ill consequences, just know that
there can be nothing else that can cause greater pain than that'.
tataḥ (than hearing these harsh words)
duḥkhataraṃ duḥkhaṃ means adversity. duḥkhataraṃ means greatest adversity.
Arjuna, you will have to agree to MY words maraṇādatiricyate B.G 2.34 (dishonour is worse than death). Don't you remember how in the past you proceeded to kill your own elder brother Dharmaputra for having spoken lowly about the potency of your bow 'The Gāndīva'. Here, Duryodhana and others are going to demean your potential and prowess which will become unbearable for you. Unable to bear the pain caused by their harsh speech, even if you turn back and leave the battlefield now, you will be compelled to wage a war with them sometime in the future. It is best to not give them an opportunity at all to speak harshly.