A kshatriya's duty in righteous battle is his dharma; victory or death both bring spiritual benefit.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 2.36–37 — September 4, 1973, London 730904BG-LONDON [26:37 Minutes] Bg-02.36–37_730904BG-LONDON Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] avācya-vādāṁś ca bahūn vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ nindantas tava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim [Bg. 2.36] [break] hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm tasmād uttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛta niścayaḥ [Bg. 2.37] [break] [02:02] Translation: "Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability.
What could be more painful for you?" Prabhupāda: Niścayaḥ, "uncertainty"? Pradyumna: Should be "certainty." Translation: "O son of Kuntī, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom..." Prabhupāda: You are noting down the mistakes and...? Noting down the mistakes in here. Pradyumna: "Therefore get up and fight with determination." Prabhupāda: So Arjuna's position is very precarious. There is a Bengali proverb, naste bose guṇṭhata.
A girl, he..., she is very famous dancing girl. So it is the system, as we have introduced, the girls and ladies, they have their veil, guṇṭha. It is called guṇṭha in Indian language. So a dancing girl, when she was on the stage, she saw that so many of her relatives are there as visitors, so she began to draw the veil.
So this is not required. You are a dancing girl. Now you have to dance. You cannot be shy.
You must freely dance. That is your duty. So Arjuna... Some rascal has killed some man giving the reason that killing is not sinful, because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated there. Yes.
Apparently, to the rascals it appears like that, that Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna to fight. And He says there is no sin. But the rascal does not see under what condition He is advising. Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya.
The sva-dharma, the principle is a kṣatriya's duty to fight, is to kill in fight. If you are in fight, you become sympathetic, then the same example: the dancing girl, when on the stage if she is shy, it is like that. Why she should be shy? She must dance freely.