Chapter 2 · Shloka 36— The Yoga of Knowledge / Transcendental Knowledge

avāchya-vādānśh cha bahūn vadiṣhyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantastava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim

avāchya-vādān

— using harsh words

cha

— and

bahūn

— many

vadiṣhyanti

— will say

tava

— your

ahitāḥ

— enemies

nindantaḥ

— defame

tava

— your

sāmarthyam

— might

tataḥ

— than that

duḥkha-taram

— more painful

nu

— indeed

kim

— what

Krishna presses the social consequence further: 'Your enemies will speak many unspeakable words, scoffing at your prowess. What could be more painful than that?' Beyond losing the esteem of friends, Arjuna would suffer the mockery of foes who deride the very strength that was his glory. This is the culmination of the honour-based arguments (2.34–36). Krishna paints the full social cost: friends will think him a coward (2.35), and enemies will pour scorn on his abilities (2.36). The phrase 'avachya-vadan' — words that ought not to be spoken, unspeakable abuse — captures how degrading this contempt would be. Commentators again read this as the teacher meeting Arjuna squarely within the warrior ethos he currently inhabits, where being mocked for one's capacity is a deep wound. But the lasting insight, once lifted out of the battlefield, is sober: a failure of nerve at a decisive moment doesn't stay private. It becomes a story others tell, including those who never wished you well. Krishna is showing Arjuna the whole landscape of consequence so that his choice is fully informed, not made in the fog of grief. The deeper trajectory, though, points beyond this: the truly free person will eventually become immune to the scorn of detractors entirely — but that immunity is earned by first acting rightly, not by avoiding the arena where one's mettle is tested.

Krishna finishes the social-cost picture: not just will friends doubt him, his enemies will openly mock the very strength he was famous for. The phrase means 'unspeakable words' — degrading contempt. This caps the honour-based arguments, and the realistic insight underneath is plain: a failure of nerve at a decisive moment doesn't stay private. It becomes a story other people tell — including people who were never on your side. But hold this in tension with where the Gita is actually heading, because it's a perfect illustration of a stepping-stone. Right now, the fear of being mocked is a real and useful lever to get Arjuna moving. But fear of haters and critics is a terrible long-term master. If your every action is steered by 'what will the people who don't even like me say?', you've handed the wheel of your life to your worst critics — which is its own kind of slavery. The Gita's real destination, taught later, is to become genuinely free of both praise and scorn. So the mature arc is this: yes, in the short term, let the thought of letting yourself down spur you to act when you're tempted to duck a real duty. But the goal isn't to become someone who lives in terror of mockery forever — it's to become someone who does the right thing so squarely that the scorn of detractors simply loses its power over you. You earn that freedom by acting rightly, not by hiding from the test.

Krishna finishes the social-cost picture: not just will friends doubt him, his enemies will openly clown the very strength he was famous for. The phrase literally means 'unspeakable words' — degrading contempt. This caps the honour-based arguments, and the realistic insight underneath is plain: a failure of nerve at a decisive moment doesn't stay private. It becomes a story other people tell — including people who were never on your side. But hold this against where the Gita is ACTUALLY heading, because it's a perfect stepping-stone. Right now, fear of being mocked is a real and useful lever to get Arjuna moving. But fear of haters and critics is a terrible long-term boss. If your every move is steered by 'what will the people who don't even like me say?', you've handed the wheel of your life to your worst critics — which is its own kind of slavery. The Gita's real destination, taught later, is to become genuinely free of BOTH praise and hate. So the mature arc: yes, short-term, let the thought of letting yourself down push you to act when you're tempted to duck a real duty. But the goal isn't to live in fear of mockery forever — it's to do right so squarely that the haters' scorn just loses its power over you. You earn that freedom by acting rightly, not by hiding from the test.

Krishna says that if Arjuna runs away, even his enemies will laugh at him and say mean things about him not being strong or brave. Nobody likes being made fun of! Krishna is using this to help Arjuna feel ready to do his duty. But here's something to remember for later: the Gita will teach an even better lesson — to do the right thing so confidently that the mean words of people who don't like you stop bothering you at all. It's good to do right; it's even better to do right without being ruled by what unkind people might say.