Sanskrit
अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः । निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥
avācyavādāṃś ca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantas tava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim
Translation
Many unseemly words will be spoken by thine enemies, slandering thy strength; what more painful than that?
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The last and sharpest item in the social-cost list: it won’t just be allies who read Arjuna’s withdrawal as weakness — his enemies will have material to mock his competence itself, not just his choice. The rhetorical question closes out verses 34–36 as a single unit, each verse escalating the cost of stepping back.
Concepts