अथ चैत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि ।ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥
atha caittvamimaṃ dharmyaṃ saṃgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi |tataḥ svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpamavāpsyasi ||
But if you will not fight this battle, which accords with dharma, then, having abandoned your own duty and your good name, you will incur sin.
Explanation
Krishna continues urging Arjuna, who has put down his bow out of grief and doubt. Here he warns that refusing this battle, which is lawful (dharmya), means giving up Arjuna's own duty as a warrior (svadharma) and his reputation (kīrti), and so bringing sin (pāpa). Traditions differ on how far this is a specific duty for a warrior (kṣatriya) and how far a general lesson on acting without shirking one's role; the verse itself speaks to Arjuna's situation.