A core teaching · inspiring in mood · easy to enter
“Right action can feel hard and still be the best choice.”
Considering your own duty, you should not waver. For a warrior, no action is more beneficial than a righteous battle.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyone's own duty · even · and · considering · not · to waver · you should · from righteous · indeed · from battle · more beneficial · other · for a warrior · not · there is
Arjuna is told not to hesitate once he sees his own duty clearly. For a warrior, fighting for what is right is the best course.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 31 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
You are standing at the door, phone in hand, about to send the message you have delayed for weeks. The discomfort is real, but the right action does not disappear because it feels hard.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts you from hesitation to committed action when your role and responsibility are already clear.
What this verse means
Arjuna is told not to hesitate once he sees his own duty clearly. For a warrior, fighting for what is right is the best course.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has dropped into doubt while the armies wait. Krishna answers the paralysis directly: for a warrior, righteous battle is not a failure of morality but the clearest expression of it.
Why this verse still matters
You are standing at the door, phone in hand, about to send the message you have delayed for weeks. The discomfort is real, but the right action does not disappear because it feels hard.
“Clarity can end inner conflict. Once duty is seen, wavering becomes unnecessary.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses)