SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
akIrthim chApi bhUthAni kathayishyanthi thE’vyayAm |
sambhAvithasya chAkIrthir maraNAdhathirichyathE ||
word-by-word meaning
bhUthAni api – all living beings
thE – for you
avyayAm – that could spread in all places and all times
akIrthim cha – disgrace
kathayishyanthi – will speak;
sambhAvithasya – for you who are praised for your valour etc
akIrthi: disgrace
maraNAdh cha – more than death
athirichyathE – worse
Simple Translation
All living beings will speak disgracefully about you that could spread in all places and all times; for you who are praised for your valour etc, such disgrace will be worse than death.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘Besides, people (the world) will be narrating of your eternal disgrace; but disgrace to a man of honor is worse than death.’
Not only are loss of happiness and fame entailed, but the world at large – both men competent to judge, and those incompetent – will speak of your disgrace, eternally; that is, at all times and in all places, will they talk thus: ‘Pārtha beat a retreat when war commenced.’ If you say, ‘what matters that’?, then, understand that to one like your noble self, imbued with such virtues as heroism, puissance, redoubtable courage, etc., the contrary behavior (of beating retreat), bringing you bad reputation, is worse than death. Than acquiring ill-fame of this kind, death for you is much better!
If you should question how ignominy could attach itself to one who is a hero (like you), and whose retirement from conflict is only prompted by motives of friendship and compassion for relatives, then know that:
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