यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम्। सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम्॥
yadṛcchayā copapannaṃ svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam / sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛśam
This battle came to you unsought — the rarest opportunity for a warrior to fulfill their highest duty.
Word by word (4)
- yadṛcchayā copapannam
- — coming of its own accord / arrived unsought · 'Yadṛcchā' — by chance, spontaneously, of itself. A battle that comes without being sought is considered the most auspicious — dharma calling, not ego-seeking.
- svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam
- — an open gate to heaven
- sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha
- — happy are those warriors, O Partha
- labhante yuddham īdṛśam
- — who get such a battle
'Happy are those warriors, O Partha, who encounter such a battle coming by itself — as an open gate to heaven.'
A modern analogy
A doctor who trains for years and then is called to save someone's life in an emergency — that call, arriving unsought, is the fulfillment of everything they prepared for. Krishna is saying: the battle has come to you. You didn't seek it; it found you. The universe has placed you at exactly the point where your life's preparation meets its purpose.
Take with you
- 'Yadṛcchayā' — by its own accord, of itself, without being sought. The battle came to Arjuna; he didn't need to find it.
- The framing as 'svarga-dvāra' (gate to heaven) is context-specific to the warrior tradition — the highest honor for a Kshatriya is to die in righteous battle.
- The broader principle: some opportunities come once. The moment they arrive is the moment to act.
V32 makes the warrior-dharma argument by appealing to the Kshatriya's highest value: a battle that comes 'by itself' (yadṛcchayā) is considered the most auspicious — it is dharma calling, not ego-seeking. The 'svarga-dvāra' (gate to heaven) framing reflects the Vedic warrior tradition, in which dying in righteous battle was considered the highest honor. This is the worldly argument that complements the metaphysical one: even by the standards of warrior culture, refusing this battle is wrong.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
Happy are the Kshatriyas, O Arjuna, who get such a battle, coming by its own accord as an open gate to heaven. [4]
Blessed be the Kshatriya to whom a battle such as this comes of itself — as an open gate to heaven. [7]
O son of Pritha! happy are the Kshatriyas who obtain such a battle, coming of itself as an open gate to heaven. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
For a warrior, there is nothing higher than a righteous battle — this is your svadharma.
If you don't fight this righteous battle, you abandon your duty and honor — and invite the consequences.
The sound of righteous forces pierces the hearts of those who know they are on the wrong side.
Arjuna calls Duryodhana evil-minded — the last moment of moral clarity before grief clouds everything.
A blind king asks what happened on the battlefield — and the Gita begins.
Arjuna sees his own people ready to die — and his body breaks before his mind can argue.