Shloka 42
भीमसेनके रथके समीप आकर जब किरीटथधारी अर्जुन उनकी बात सुनकर जाने लगे, तब नकुलने भी पास आये हुए वीर अर्जुनकी ओर देखकर उनसे कहा--'भैया! आप इस वृषसेनको शीघ्र मार डालिये' ।।
ity evam uktaḥ sahasā kirīṭī bhrātrā samakṣaṃ nakulena saṅkhye | kapidhvajaṃ keśava-saṅgṛhītaṃ praiṣīd udagro vṛṣasenāya vāham ||
Sañjaya said: Thus addressed on the battlefield by his brother Nakula, Arjuna—the diademed warrior—at once, his resolve sharpened, drove the monkey-bannered chariot, held steady under Keśava’s control, straight toward Vṛṣasena at fierce speed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights decisive action in the performance of one’s immediate duty (kṣatriya-dharma) amid moral pressure, while also emphasizing the stabilizing role of right guidance—symbolized by Kṛṣṇa controlling the chariot as Arjuna commits to the next necessary act in battle.
On the battlefield, Nakula urges Arjuna to quickly kill Vṛṣasena. Having been so addressed, Arjuna immediately drives his monkey-bannered chariot—steered under Kṛṣṇa’s control—swiftly toward Vṛṣasena to engage him.