Shloka 7
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
एतच्छुत्वा च दृष्ट्वा च क्रातुर्घोरें महद्धयम् । वाहयाश्चान् हृषीकेश क्षिप्रमित्याह पाण्डव:
etac chrutvā ca dṛṣṭvā ca krātur ghore mahad bhayam | vāhayāś cān hṛṣīkeśa kṣipram ity āha pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing this and also seeing the dreadful, overwhelming peril that had befallen his brother, the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna) spoke at once: “Hṛṣīkeśa, drive the horses forward quickly.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a moment of imminent danger, Arjuna’s command underscores kṣipratā (prompt action) as an ethical necessity: when dharma requires protection of one’s own and resistance to adharma, hesitation can itself become a fault.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna, after hearing Kṛṣṇa’s report and seeing the severe threat confronting his brother, urgently instructs Kṛṣṇa—his charioteer—to drive the horses forward at once, signaling rapid movement into the critical part of the battle.