atha chet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣhyasi
tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ cha hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi
If, however, you refuse to fight this righteous war, abandoning your social duty and reputation, you will certainly incur sin.
Word by Word Meaning:
atha chet - if, however
tvam - you
imam - this
dharmyam saṅgrāmam - righteous war
na - not
kariṣhyasi - act
tataḥ - then
sva-dharmam - one’s duty in accordance with the Vedas
kīrtim - reputation
cha - and
hitvā - abandoning
pāpam - sin
avāpsyasi - will incur