VERSE 27
जातस्त हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च ।
तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥

jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur
dhruvam janma mrtasya ca
tasmad apariharye ‘rthe
na tvam socitum arhasi

SYNONYMS
jātasya—one who has taken his birth; hi—certainly; dhruvaḥ—a fact;mṛtyuḥ—death; dhruvam—it is also a fact; janma—birth; mṛtasya—of the dead;ca—also; tasmāt—therefore; aparihārye—for that which is unavoidable; arthe—in the matter of; na—do not; tvam—you; śocitum—to lament; arhasi—deserve.

TRANSLATION
For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.

VERSE 28
अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥

avyaktadini bhutani
vyakta-madhyani bharata
avyakta-nidhanany eva
tatra ka paridevana

SYNONYMS
avyaktādīni—in the beginning unmanifested; bhūtāni—all that are created;vyakta—manifested; madhyāni—in the middle; bhārata—O descendant of Bharata; avyakta—nonmanifested; nidhanāni—all that are vanquished; eva—it is all like that; tatra—therefore; kā-what; paridevanā—lamentation.

TRANSLATION
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when they are annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?

VERSE 29
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन-
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः ।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः श्रृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्‌ ॥

ascarya-vat pasyati kascid enam
ascarya-vad vadati tathaiva canyah
ascarya-vac cainam anyah srnoti
srutvapy enam veda na caiva kascit

SYNONYMS
āścaryavat—amazing; paśyati—see; kaścit—some; enam—this soul;āścaryavat—amazing; vadati—speak; tathā—there; eva—certainly; ca—also;anyaḥ—others; āścaryavat—similarly amazing; ca—also; enam—this soul;anyaḥ—others; śṛṇoti—hear; śrutvā—having heard; api—even; enam—this soul;veda—do know; na—never; ca—and; eva—certainly; kaścit—anyone.

TRANSLATION
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.

VERSE 30
देही नित्यमवध्योऽयं देहे सर्वस्य भारत ।
तस्मात्सर्वाणि भूतानि न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥

dehi nityam avadhyo ‘yam
dehe sarvasya bharata
tasmat sarvani bhutani
na tvam socitum arhasi

SYNONYMS
dehī—the owner of the material body; nityam—eternally; avadhyaḥ—cannot be killed; ayam—this soul; dehe—in the body; sarvasya—of everyone; bhārata—O descendant of Bharata; tasmāt—therefore; sarvāṇi—all; bhūtāni—living entities (that are born); na—never; tvam—yourself; śocitum —to lament; arhasi-deserve.

TRANSLATION
O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature.

VERSE 31
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि ।
धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥

sva-dharmam api caveksya
na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo ‘nyat
ksatriyasya na vidyate

SYNONYMS
svadharmam—one’s own religious principles; api—also; ca—indeed;avekṣya—considering; na—never; vikampitum—to hesitate; arhasi—you deserve; dharmyāt—from religious principles; hi—indeed; yuddhāt—of fighting;śreyaḥ—better engagements; anyat—anything else; kṣatriyasya—of the kṣatriya;na—does not; vidyate—exist.

TRANSLATION
Considering your specific duty as a kṣatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation.

VERSE 32
यदृच्छया चोपपन्नां स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम्‌ ।
सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम्‌ ॥

yadrcchaya copapannam
svarga-dvaram apavrtam
sukhinah ksatriyah partha
labhante yuddham idrsam

SYNONYMS
yadṛcchayā—by its own accord; ca—also; upapannam—arrived at; svarga—heavenly planet; dvāram—door; apāvṛtam—wide open; sukhinaḥ—very happy; kṣatriyāḥ—the members of the royal order; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā;labhante—do achieve; yuddham—war; īdṛśam—like this.

TRANSLATION
O Pārtha, happy are the kṣatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.

VERSE 33
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं सङ्‍ग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥

atha cet tvam imam dharmyam
sangramam na karisyasi
tatah sva-dharmam kirtim ca
hitva papam avapsyasi

SYNONYMS
atha—therefore; cet—if; tvam—you; imam—this; dharmyam—religious duty; saṅgrāmam—fighting; na—do not; kariṣyasi—perform; tataḥ—then;svadharmam—your religious duty; kīrtim-—reputation; ca—also; hitvā—losing;pāpam—sinful reaction; avāpsyasi—do gain.

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.

VERSE 34
अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि
कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्‌ ।
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्ति-
र्मरणादतिरिच्यते ॥

akirtim capi bhutani
kathayisyanti te ‘vyayam
sambhavitasya cakirtir
maranad atiricyate

SYNONYMS
akīrtim—infamy; ca—also; api—over and above; bhūtāni—all people;kathayiṣyanti—will speak; te-of you; avyayām—forever; sambhāvitasya—for a respectable man; ca—also; akīrtiḥ—ill fame; maraṇāt—than death; atiricyate—becomes more than.

TRANSLATION
People will always speak of your infamy, and for one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death.

VERSE 35
भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः ।
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम्‌ ॥

bhayad ranad uparatam
mamsyante tvam maha-rathah
yesam ca tvam bahu-mato
bhutva yasyasi laghavam

SYNONYMS
bhayāt—out of fear; raṇāt—from the battlefield; uparatam—ceased;maṁsyante—will consider; tvām—unto you; mahā-rathāḥ—the great generals;yeṣām—of those who; ca—also; tvam—you; bahu-mataḥ—in great estimation;bhūtvā—will become; yāsyasi—will go; lāghavam—decreased in value.

TRANSLATION
The great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think that you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they will consider you a coward.

VERSE 36
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्‌ वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः ।
निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्‌ ॥

avacya-vadams ca bahun
vadisyanti tavahitah
nindantas tava samarthyam
tato duhkhataram nu kim

SYNONYMS
avācya—unkind; vādān—fabricated words; ca—also; bahūn—many;vadiṣyanti—will say; tava—your; ahitāḥ—enemies; nindantaḥ—while vilifying;tava—your; sāmarthyam—ability; tataḥ—thereafter; duḥkhataram—more painful; nu—of course; kim—what is there.

TRANSLATION
Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability. What could be more painful for you?

VERSE 37
हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्‌ ।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः ॥

hato va prapsyasi svargam
jitva va bhoksyase mahim
tasmad uttistha kaunteya
yuddhaya krta-niscayah

SYNONYMS
hataḥ—being killed; vā—either; prāpsyasi—you gain; svargam—the heavenly kingdom; jitvā—by conquering; vā—or; bhokṣyase—you enjoy; mahīm—the world; tasmāt—therefore; uttiṣṭha—get up; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī;yuddhāya—to fight; kṛta—determination; niścayaḥ—uncertainty.

TRANSLATION
O son of Kuntī, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore get up and fight with determination.

VERSE 38
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।
ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥

sukha-duhkhe same krtva
labhalabhau jayajayau
tato yuddhaya yujyasva
naivam papam avapsyasi

SYNONYMS
sukha—happiness; duḥkhe—in distress; same—in equanimity; kṛtvā—doing so; lābhālābhau—both in loss and profit; jayājayau—both in defeat and victory;tataḥ—thereafter; yuddhāya—for the sake of fighting; yujyasva—do fight; na—never; evam—in this way; pāpam—sinful reaction; avāpsyasi—you will gain.

TRANSLATION
Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat-and, by so doing, you shall never incur sin.

VERSE 39
एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्‍ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां श्रृणु ।
बुद्ध्‌या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥

esa te ‘bhihita sankhye
buddhir yoge tv imam srnu
buddhya yukto yaya partha
karma-bandham prahasyasi

SYNONYMS
eṣā—all these; te—unto you; abhihitā—described; śāṅkhye—by analytical study; buddhiḥ—intelligence; yoge—work without fruitive result; tu—but; imām-this; śṛṇu—just hear; buddhyā—by intelligence; yuktaḥ—dovetailed; yayā—by which; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; karma-bandham—bondage of reaction;prahāsyasi—you can be released from.

TRANSLATION
Thus far I have declared to you the analytical knowledge of sāṅkhya philosophy. Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works without fruitive result. O son of Pṛthā, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from the bondage of works.