Shloka 34

Puruṣottama-yoga

The Discipline of the Supreme Person) — Chapter 15 (Bhagavadgītā

Devanagari script

द्रोणं च भीष्मं च जयद्रथं च कर्ण तथान्यानपि योधवीरान्‌ | मया हतांस्त्वं जहि मा व्यथिष्ठा युध्यस्व जेतासि रणे सपत्नान्‌,द्रोणाचार्य और भीष्मपितामह तथा जयद्रथ और कर्ण तथा और भी बहुत- से मेरे द्वारा मारे हुए शूरवीर योद्धाओंको तू मार।* भय मत कर।3 निस्संदेह तू युद्धमें वैरियोंको जीतेगा। इसलिये युद्ध कर

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | droṇaṁ ca bhīṣmaṁ ca jayadrathaṁ ca karṇaṁ tathānyān api yodhavīrān | mayā hatāṁs tvaṁ jahi mā vyathiṣṭhā yudhyasva jetāsi raṇe sapatnān ||

Translation

Erschlage Droṇa und Bhīṣma, Jayadratha und Karṇa, und auch die anderen heldenhaften Krieger — die von Mir bereits getroffen sind. Wanke nicht und trauere nicht. Kämpfe; gewiss wirst du deine Feinde in der Schlacht besiegen.

Word by Word

• {'droṇam': 'Droṇa (the martial preceptor), object of action', 'bhīṣmam': 'Bhīṣma (the grandsire), object of action', 'jayadratham': 'Jayadratha (king allied with the Kauravas), object of action', 'karṇam': 'Karṇa (Kaurava ally and great archer), object of action', 'anyān api': 'others also', 'yodhavīrān': 'heroic fighters, warrior-champions', 'mayā hatān': 'slain/struck down by me (i.e., already destined/overpowered by my agency)', 'tvaṁ jahi': 'you slay (imperative: ‘do the act’)', 'mā vyathiṣṭhāḥ': 'do not be distressed

• do not falter', 'yudhyasva': 'fight (engage in battle)', 'jetā asi': 'you will be the victor', 'raṇe': 'in battle', 'sapatnān': 'rivals, enemies, opponents'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Droṇa
• Bhīṣma
• Jayadratha
• Karṇa
• sapatna (enemies/opponents)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse urges steadfast performance of one’s duty in a righteous battle: do not succumb to grief or hesitation, but act with resolve. It frames victory as assured when one aligns action with the larger moral order and the momentum of events already set in motion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses his charioteer-companion (in the wider episode, Kṛṣṇa) and declares that key Kaurava champions—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Jayadratha, Karṇa, and others—are already effectively ‘defeated’ by his power or destiny; therefore the listener should strike them down without fear and continue fighting to win the war.