SB 10.89.29
Devanāgarī
अहं प्रजा: वां भगवन् रक्षिष्ये दीनयोरिह । अनिस्तीर्णप्रतिज्ञोऽग्निं प्रवेक्ष्ये हतकल्मष: ॥ २९ ॥
Text
ahaṁ prajāḥ vāṁ bhagavan rakṣiṣye dīnayor iha anistīrṇa-pratijño ’gniṁ pravekṣye hata-kalmaṣaḥ
Synonyms
aham—I;prajāḥ—the offspring;vām—of you two (you and your wife);bhagavan—O lord;rakṣiṣye—will protect;dīnayoḥ—who are wretched;iha—in this matter;anistīrṇa—failing to fulfill;pratijñaḥ—my promise;agnim—fire;pravekṣye—I will enter;hata—destroyed;kalmaṣaḥ—whose contamination.
Translation
“My lord, I will protect the progeny of you and your wife, who are in such distress. And if I fail to keep this promise, I will enter fire to atone for my sin.”
Purport
Chivalrous Arjuna could not tolerate the shame of being unable to fulfill his promise. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (2.34) , sambhāvitasya cākīrtir maraṇād atiricyate: “For a respected person, dishonor is worse than death.”