Shloka 3

Devanagari script

उपावृत्ताश्न तुरगाः शिक्षिताश्षाश्वसादिभि: । रथोपकरणै: सज्जा उपायान्तु त्वरान्विता:,प्रयाहि शीघ्र॑ गोविन्द सूतपुत्रजिघांसया । “गोविन्द! अब मेरा रथ तैयार हो। उसमें पुनः उत्तम घोड़े जोते जायँ और मेरे उस विशाल रथमें सब प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्र सजाकर रख दिये जायाँ। अअभ्वारोहियोंद्वारा सिखलाये और टहलाये गये घोड़े रथसम्बन्धी उपकरणोंसे सुसज्जित हो शीघ्र यहाँ आवें और आप सूतपुत्रके वधकी इच्छासे जल्दी ही यहाँसे प्रस्थान कीजिये”

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

upāvṛttāś ca turagāḥ śikṣitāś cāśvasādibhiḥ |

rathopakaraṇaiḥ sajjā upāyāntu tvarānvitāḥ |

prayāhi śīghraṃ govinda sūtaputra-jighāṃsayā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Let the horses, well-rested and trained by the grooms, be brought quickly, fully harnessed with the chariot-gear. Go forth at once, O Govinda, driven by the resolve to slay the charioteer’s son.”

Word by Word

उपावृत्ताःreturned/back (having been exercised)

चand

तुरगाःhorses

शिक्षिताःtrained

अश्वसादिभिःby horse-trainers/handlers etc.

रथोपकरणैःwith chariot-gear/equipment

सज्जाःready, equipped

उपयान्तुlet them come/approach

त्वरान्विताःendowed with haste, hurried

प्रयाहिdepart, set out

शीघ्रम्quickly

गोविन्दO Govinda

सूतपुत्रजिघांसयाwith the desire to kill the charioteer’s son (Karna)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Govinda (Kṛṣṇa)

Sūtaputra (Karṇa)

turagāḥ (horses)

ratha (chariot)

rathopakaraṇa (chariot-gear/harness)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights wartime resolve and the moral tension of intent: the speaker’s urgency to prepare the chariot and proceed ‘with the desire to kill’ shows how determination in battle can harden into a single-minded aim, raising questions about dharma, necessity, and the ethics of lethal intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

A command is issued to ready the chariot immediately: trained horses are to be brought, harnessed with all equipment, and Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) is urged to depart swiftly with the explicit objective of killing Karṇa (called ‘sūtaputra’).