हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।।2.37।।
2.37 Either by being killed you will attain heaven, or by winning you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, O Arjuna, rise up with determination for fighting.
2.37 Slain, thou wilt obtain heaven; victorious, thou wilt enjoy the earth; therefore, stand up, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight.
2.37. If you are slain you shall attain heaven; or if you coner, you shall enjoy the earth. Therefore, O son of Kunti ! stand up with resolution made in favour of [fighting] the battle.
2.37 हतः slain? वा or? प्राप्स्यसि (thou) wilt obtain? स्वर्गम् heaven? जित्वा having conered? वा or? भोक्ष्यसे (thou) wilt enjoy? महीम् the earth? तस्मात् therefore? उत्तिष्ठ stand up? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti? युद्धाय for fight? कृतनिश्चयः resolved.Commentary In either case you will be benefited. Therefore? stand up with the firm resolution I will coner the enemy or die.
2.37 Again, by undertaking the fight with Karna and others, va, either; hatah, by being killed; prapsyasi, you will attain; svargam, heaven; or jitva, by winning over Karna and other heroes; bhoksyase, you will enjoy; mahim, the earth. The purport is that in either case you surely stand to gain. Since this is so, Kaunteya, O son of Kunti; tasmat, therefore; uttistha, rise up; krta-niscayah, with determination; yuddhaya, for fighting, i.e. with the determination, I shall either defeat the enemies or shall die.
2.33-37 Atha ca etc., upto krta-niscavah. Accepting what the opponent has stated, this pentad of verses is narrated as an argument : If your goodself prefers to abide by the generally accepted practice, even then this [fighting] must be undertaken necessarily.
2.37 If you are slain in a righteous war by enemies, you shall thery attain supreme bliss. Or, slaying the enemies, you shall enjoy this kingdom without obstacles. As the duty called war, when done without attachment to the fruits, becomes the means for winning supreme bliss, you will attain that supreme bliss. Therefore, arise, assured that engagement in war (here the duty) is the means for attaining release, which is known as mans supreme goal. This alone is suitable for you, the son of Kunti. This is the purport. Sri Krsna then explains to the aspirant for liberation how to conduct oneself in war.
“In this battle, my victory is not even certain. Therefore, why should you encourage this war?” He answers in this verse.
The previous statement given by Arjuna in Chapter 2, verse six, about his concern of not knowing which is better: to conquer the enemy or be conquered by the enemy, is now being clarified by the Supreme Lords instruction in this verse, that by either conquering he will win dominion of the earth or by being conquered he will directly attain the heavenly spheres.
If slain in battle while fighting bravely a ksatriya will certainly attain the heavenly spheres. It is also stated in the Vedic scriptures that if a ksatriya is victorious in battle what will be gained is dominion of the Earth and at the end of the life the heavenly spheres are guaranteed as well. Thus those who fight bravely in battle and are undefeated acquire more merit than those who are defeated.
There is no commentary for this verse.
So in order to protect both the Earth and the heavenly realms it is better for a mighty warrior to face his enemies and fight. This Lord Krishna emphasises with the word hata meaning slain showing that slain or not slain there is benefit in both. So by this Arjunas previous doubt of not knowing what is better to slay or be slain and will they have victory or not are eradicated as both conclusions give benefit. So Arjuna should rise up and fight.
Hato vaa praapsyasi swargam jitwaa vaa bhokshyase maheem; Tasmaad uttishtha kaunteya yuddhaaya kritanishchayah.
hataḥ—slain; vā—or; prāpsyasi—you will attain; swargam—celestial abodes; jitvā—by achieving victory; vā—or; bhokṣhyase—you shall enjoy; mahīm—the kingdom on earth; tasmāt—therefore; uttiṣhṭha—arise; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; yuddhāya—for fight; kṛita-niśhchayaḥ—with determination
