Bhagavad Gita 2.34
अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम्। संभावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते॥
akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te ’vyayām sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate
Translation
Men will recount thy perpetual dishonour, and, to one highly esteemed, dishonour exceedeth death.
What it means
People will recount your dishonor forever, and for one who is honored, dishonor is worse than death. Krishna uses Arjuna's own values: a reputation for courage abandoned cannot be argued back into existence.
Try this today
Krishna invokes reputation honestly: for someone whose standing was earned, its loss is a real cost to weigh.
Something to reflect on
Am I weighing the loss of standing honestly, or pretending it does not matter to me?
Read it in Yathora