Shloka 23
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
प्रतिपालय मां सूत नियम्याश्वान् मुहूर्तकम् । यावदेतान् निहन्म्यद्य य इमे मद्वधोद्यता:
pratipālaya māṁ sūta niyamyāśvān muhūrtakam | yāvad etān nihany adya ya ime mad-vadhodyatāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Wagenlenker, zügle die Pferde und warte einen Augenblick auf mich, bis ich heute diese Männer niedergestreckt habe, die darauf aus sind, mich zu töten.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a battlefield context, the verse highlights decisive action against an immediate unjust threat (those intent on killing), coupled with disciplined coordination—here, the charioteer’s restraint of the horses—showing how duty and practical control work together in crisis.
The speaker addresses the charioteer, instructing him to hold the horses and wait briefly while the speaker goes to confront and kill opponents who are actively attempting to kill him.