2-34

अकीर्तिम् चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् ।
सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्तिः मरणादतिरिच्यते ॥ ३४ ॥

akIrtim cApi bhUtAni kathayiSyanti te'vyayAm |
sambhAvitasya cAkIrtiH maraNAdatiricyate || 34 ||

अपिच [apica] Moreover, भूतानि [bhUtAni] everyone कथयिष्यन्ति [kathayiSyanti] will talk about ते [te] your अव्ययाम् अकीर्तिम् [avyayAm akIrtim] ever-lasting ill repute. सम्भावितस्य च [sambhAvitasya ca] For a respectable person, अकीर्तिः [akIrtiH] infamy अतिरिच्यते [atiricyate] is more undesirable मरणात् [maraNAt] than death.

It’s not that you would only be deprived of unparalleled joy and fame. The stigma of ‘Arjuna ran away at the beginning of the war itself’ will stick to you for all time, and at all places. All people, both the capable and the incapable ones, will say this.

If your response to this is ‘So what?’, then know this: You are a person esteemed for qualities such as bravery, valor and daring. Dishonor comes to people like you, when you associate with the opposite qualities. Such dishonor is even worse than death. The opinion expressed in this Shloka is - death is indeed better, when compared to such dishonor.