शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर् दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्य् अपलायनम् । दानम् ईश्वरभावश् च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥
śauryaṃ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṃ yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam | dānam īśvara-bhāvaś ca kṣātraṃ karma svabhāva-jam ||
Kṣatriya dharma: bravery, vigor, fortitude, skill, not-fleeing-battle, generosity, lordly bearing — born of svabhāva.
Word by word (3)
- śauryaṃ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṃ yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam
- — bravery/heroism (śaurya), vigor/energy/majesty (tejas), fortitude/steadiness (dhṛti), skillfulness/dexterity (dākṣya = from dakṣa = clever/able), and also (ca api) not-fleeing/not-running-away (apalāyanam = a + palāyana = non-flight) in battle (yuddhe) — five martial qualities
- dānam īśvara-bhāvaś ca kṣātraṃ karma svabhāva-jam
- — generosity (dānam), lordliness/the quality of being a master/ruler (īśvara-bhāva = lord-nature), and (ca) — these are the kṣātra-karma (Kṣatriya-duty) born of svabhāva (one's own nature)
- īśvara-bhāva
- — lordly-nature/the quality of being a ruler; the Kṣatriya's natural svabhāva includes not just martial prowess but the governing consciousness — the natural capacity to command, protect, and take responsibility for others; this is not ego-arrogance but the natural bearing of one born to leadership; contrast with brāhmaṇa's ānṛśaṃsya (gentleness) and śama (serenity)
Bravery, vigor, fortitude, dexterity, and also not fleeing from battle, generosity and lordliness — these are the duties of Kṣatriyas, born of their own nature.
A modern analogy
Kṣatriya dharma is the dharma of the protector-ruler: courageous in facing danger (śaurya), energetic and imposing (tejas), steady under pressure (dhṛti), skillful in action (dākṣya), refusing to flee even in difficult battles (apalāyanam), generous with resources (dāna), and carrying the natural bearing of leadership (īśvara-bhāva). Arjuna's entire journey in the Gita is about reconnecting with this svabhāva.
V43 gives the kṣatriya-karma. The contrast with V42's brāhmaṇa dharma is stark: brāhmaṇa dharma = inward (śama, dama, jñāna, vijñāna); kṣatriya dharma = outward-action (śaurya, tejas, apalāyanam in yuddhe). Arjuna's viṣāda (despondency, V28 tāmasic dhṛti!) in Ch.1 is precisely the failure of kṣatriya dharma: he who should have apalāyanam (not fleeing) is contemplating exactly that — flight from battle. The entire Gita's moral urgency is: Arjuna, your svabhāva is kṣatriya; your dharma is V43; act according to it.
Apalāyanam (not-fleeing-from-battle) appearing explicitly in the list of kṣatriya dharma is the Gita's direct answer to Arjuna's Ch.1 impulse to flee. Krishna is not asking Arjuna to do something heroic beyond his nature — He is asking him to do what his svabhāva-born dharma demands. This is the personalized application of the universal teaching: svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ (V47 — better death in one's own dharma).
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Bravery, boldness, fortitude, promptness, not flying from battle, generosity and lordliness are the duties of the Kshatriyas, born of nature. [1]
Prowess, boldness, fortitude, dexterity, and also not flying from battle, generosity and sovereignty are the duties of the Kshatriyas, born of their own nature. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Bravery, energy, firmness, skill, not flying away from battle, liberality, the bearing of a ruler, these are the duties of Kshatriyas, born of their proper nature. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Tāmasic karma: begun from delusion, ignoring consequences, waste, injury to beings, and one's own capacity.
Brāhmaṇa dharma: śama, dama, tapas, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, wisdom, faith — born of svabhāva.
Arjuna sees his own people ready to die — and his body breaks before his mind can argue.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.