aham prajah vam bhagavan

 raksisye dinayor iha

anistirna-pratijño ’gnim

 praveksye hata-kalmasah

 

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 Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (2.34), sambhavitasya cakirtir maranad atiricyate: “For a respected person, dishonor is worse than death.”