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Duty, Honour and Fear

After the teaching of the imperishable self, the Lord speaks to Arjuna in the language of duty, reputation and fear of disgrace. Gita 2.31-37: seven verses, how far the appeal goes, and the turn to an even mind in the next verse.

In brief

  • The Lord speaks to Arjuna in his own language: duty, name and what people will say (2.31-37).
  • There are seven verses: his own duty, an unsought chance, loss of duty and good name, disgrace, the great warriors' opinion, ridicule and two possible outcomes (2.31-37).
  • It is the first argument, not the last: the next verse asks for evenness in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat (2.38).
  • The verses are spoken to a warrior about a war that came to him, and the Gita holds up the one who is even in honour and dishonour (14.25).

It is common to know one's duty and to stop for fear of what people will say. In the Gita, Arjuna is in exactly that position. After the teaching of the self, the Lord speaks to him in the language of duty, fame and disgrace (Gita 2.31–37), because those are what Arjuna cares about. But he does not stop there: in the next verse he asks Arjuna to be even in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat (Gita 2.38).

On Arjuna's Journey the topic comes after The Imperishable Self. There grief was answered by understanding the self; here the fear of duty and of other people's talk is answered. The deeper meaning of one's own duty opens later in One's Own Duty (Gita 3.35), and the turn to evenness and yoga is in Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect.

One caution goes with this topic. The verses are spoken to a warrior about a war that came to him on its own. They should not be read as a general defence of war, and honour is not the Gita's highest value.

The topic can be read in three ways. The simple reading starts from an everyday situation. The detailed reading takes the seven verses in order, with an example and the common misreadings. The deeper reading goes into each verse closely, the hard objections and the two streams of commentators.

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Simple New to this topic. Plain words, one idea at a time. Afraid of What People Will Say? What the Gita Says About Duty and Disgrace The Lord speaks to Arjuna in the language of duty and name, because those are what Arjuna cares about (2.31-37). 5 min · Read → In Depth Know the basics. Verse by verse, with reasons. Gita 2.31-37: What the Lord Says to Arjuna About Duty, Disgrace and Fear The Lord speaks to Arjuna in his own language, of duty, name and what people will say; seven verses press one point each (2.31-37). 9 min · Read → Deeper Want the text itself: Sanskrit terms, commentary, close reading. Gita 2.31-37, a Close Reading: How Far Does the Appeal to Duty, Honour and Fear Go? The Lord speaks to Arjuna on his own ground: his duty, his name and what others will say (2.31-37). 12 min · Read → Quick summary Short on time. The whole topic in a few minutes. Duty, Honour and Fear: Quick Summary The Lord speaks to Arjuna in his own language: duty, name and what people will say (2.31-37). 7 min · Read →

Key shlokas

Concepts

Common misreadings

Part of these learning paths

Related topics