A Fate Worse than Death - Bhagavad Gita Verses 2.33 & 2.34

Krishna has clearly explained to Arjuna that, the war is in keeping with his duty – svadharma. He also says that Arjuna is a lucky one for this kind of battle Is not gained by ordinary people, but only by the very lucky ones.
Arjuna could not have got a better chance to protect the dharma and prove himself a true kshathriya. When a kshathriya has a chance of battle, he feels happy, because he gains whether he wins or loses. Victorious, he achieves glory on earth; dying in battle, he gains heaven.

Then Krishna continues – what will happen if Arjuna does not participate in the battle?

Atha chaeththvamimam dharmyam sangraamam na karishyasi
Thatha: svadharma keerthim cha, hithvaa paapamavaapsyasi 2. 33

On the other hand, if you do not fight this righteous war, then, you will be forsaking your own duty as well as your fame and will incur sin.

Krishna says, it is unethical on Arjuna's part if he does not fight the war. It amounts to shirking his duty. Also the name and fame that Arjuna has so far gained would be destroyed.
Arjuna had earlier said that he would incur sin by fighting this battle. "Sin" is that through which a man strays from the path of evolution. It results in suffering!
Krishna argues that running away from his duty of fighting would incur sin. He impresses upon Arjuna the danger of not fighting the battle.
Not fighting the war, Arjuna may run away from the field, but he will certainly come to regret his lost chances since his mind is so composed that he can find complete relief and solace only by living the intensely dangerous life of the battlefield.
Sin in Hinduism is considered a mistake of the mind in which it acts contrary to its essential nature as the Self. This only creates more and more agitations in the mind. These agitations of the mind are otherwise called sins.
Dharma and fame are placed together in this verse.


Next Krishna talks to him from the worldly angle.

Akeerthim chaapi bhoothani kathaishyanthi thae(a)vyayaam
Sambhaavithasya chaakeerthi: maraNaadathirichyathae 2 .34


Moreover, people will attribute permanent infamy to you. For a person who has been honoured, infamy is worse than death.

The argument here is, if Arjuna cared about dharma, he should not leave the battlefield and if he did leave, he would incur papa because of failure in duty. The ill-fame is worse than death because no one can live with ill-fame which is not at all legitimate. Ill-fame is not the same as loss of fame; it is the opposite of fame and worse than death for one, held in high esteem by society. He will become a center of something unrighteous and this will impair his personal evolution.
Certainly, there is an undercurrent of sympathy in Krishna's words; he realises that however great a hero Arjuna may be, even he can be weakened by wrong emotionalism!

Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Ac,
You are my "boNi" as usual, thanks !
Here, Krishna told Arjuna that if he did not undertake this battle, which was in keeping with his dharma, he would be destroying his own dharma, his duty. Also, the name & fame that Arjuna had so far gained would be destroyed. So, he would incur sin(papam avapsyasi)
Arjuna had said earlier that he would incur sin by fighting ths battle, but Krishna was telling him that by not fighting he would incur sin in the sense that he would be guilty of negligence of duty. Not fighting itself would not incur sin, but running away from his duty was an action, a karma, that would incur sin. Hence Krishna said
"You will incur sin, Arjuna and you will lose your name also."
Yes, the definition of sin differs in each religion; not only that, it depends on the context also.
AC, I am going through this chapter in very great detail, because this is one of the most important chapters in Gita.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear AC,
My answer has to be necessarily & unavoidably long, please bear with me !
Every living creature has taken up its form and has come into this world for one purpose - exhaustion of vasanas or existing mental impressions. The bundle of vasanas with which an individual has arrived in this life in his present incarnation is his svadharma. Not to make use of the evolutionary chances provided by life is to reject and refuse the chances for a vasana-catharsis. By not exhausting the old vasanas, one will tend to live under heavy pressure of vasanas and the existing tendencies are crowded by the influx of the new tendencies! With over anxiety, we tend to ignore vasanas and entertain more and more agitations in our minds. these agitations of the mind are called sins (papam).
My teacher always quotes a typical example. With over enthusiasm in the spiritual field, many, at the mere appearance of a sorrow or threat of a failure, decide to run away to take shelter in caves & become "samiyars" ! They forget that they have in them sensuous vasanas which can be satisfied only in a family life. By rejecting them, they only entertain more and more agitations in their mind, which are otherwise called sins.
I hope you understand better, now.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Bhargavi
You are more or less correct.
Any act of sensuousness in which the mind pants forward into the world of objects, hoping to get thereby a joy and satisfaction (but acting contrary to its essential nature as the Self), necessarily creates in the heart more and more agitaions. This type of mistake is called a sin.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Vidhi,
You are right. Emotions always overtake our reasoning. That is why we act contrary to our nature very often because we do not pause to think !
Just like happiness, sadness is also a state of mind.
Thanks, Vidhi.
Love,
Chitra.