2.3. O son of Pritha, Arjuna! Do not yield to this impotence, for it does not befit you. O scorcher of foes! Cast aside this petty faint-heartedness and arise for battle.
Commentary: 'Partha' – By reminding Arjuna of his mother Pritha (Kunti) and her message, the Lord addresses him as 'Partha' to awaken the valor befitting a Kshatriya within his heart. The implication is that by bringing cowardice upon yourself, you must not transgress your mother's command.
'Do not yield to impotence' – Arjuna, due to cowardice, was considering fighting as adharma and not fighting as dharma. Therefore, to awaken him, the Lord says that not fighting is not a matter of dharma; it is impotence (emasculation). Hence, abandon this impotence.
'It does not befit you' – This emasculation should not have come upon you; for you are the son of a heroic Kshatriya mother like Kunti and are yourself a great warrior. The meaning is that by birth and by your very nature, this impotence is entirely inappropriate for you.
'Scorcher of foes' – You yourself are a 'scorcher of foes,' meaning one who afflicts and routs enemies. So, will you now, turning away from battle, delight your enemies?
'Cast aside this petty faint-heartedness and arise' – Here, the word 'petty' has two meanings: (1) This faint-heartedness of the heart leads to pettiness, meaning it does not bestow liberation, heaven, or glory. If you do not abandon this pettiness, you yourself will become petty; and (2) This faint-heartedness of the heart is a petty thing. For a great warrior like you, abandoning such a petty thing is no difficult task.
You who think, 'I am righteous and do not wish to commit the sin of war,' this is the faint-heartedness, the weakness of your heart. Cast it aside and arise for battle, meaning, perform your ordained duty.
Here, the duty-action in the form of battle is before Arjuna. Therefore, the Lord says, 'Arise, stand up, and perform the duty in the form of battle.' In the Lord's mind, there is not the slightest doubt regarding Arjuna's duty. He knows that from all perspectives, fighting is the duty for Arjuna. Hence, disregarding Arjuna's hollow arguments, He firmly commands him to perform his duty: stand up fully prepared to fight.
Connection: In the first chapter, Arjuna had given many arguments for not fighting. Paying no heed to those arguments, the Lord suddenly rebuked Arjuna strongly for the fault of cowardice and ordered him to stand up for battle. Taking this, Arjuna, not finding a resolution to his arguments, suddenly became agitated and spoke out—
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