Shloka 18
एषोअर्जुनो रणे तूर्ण युध्यते कुरुभि: सह । तत्र गच्छस्व माद्रेय गृहं वा यदि मन्यसे
eṣo 'rjuno raṇe tūrṇaṃ yudhyate kurubhiḥ saha | tatra gacchasva mādreya gṛhaṃ vā yadi manyase ||
Sañjaya said: “Here is Arjuna—he is fighting swiftly in the battle, together with the Kurus. Go there, O son of Mādrī; or, if you think it better, return home.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediacy of kṣatriya-duty in wartime: when a righteous cause is at stake, one must decide promptly—either join the crucial action or withdraw if one judges oneself unfit. It frames choice under pressure as an ethical responsibility, not mere impulse.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna is actively and rapidly engaged in combat. He then urges the addressed ‘son of Mādrī’ (Nakula or Sahadeva) to go to that battlefield situation, or else to return home if he deems that course preferable—indicating a moment of tactical and moral decision.