Shloka 33
संरक्ष्यतां रथसंस्था: सुतो5य- महं हनिष्ये वृषसेनमुग्रम् । पश्चाद् वधिष्ये त्वामपि सम्प्रमूढ- महं हनिष्ये$र्जुन आजिमध्ये,“मेरा वेगशाली वीर पुत्र महारथी अभिमन्यु अकेला था। मैं उसके साथ नहीं था। उस अवस्थामें तुम सब लोगोंने मिलकर उसका वध किया था। तुम्हारे उस कर्मको सब लोग खोटा बताते हैं; परंतु आज मैं तुम सब लोगोंके सामने वृषसेनका वध करूँगा। रथपर बैठे हुए महारथियो! अपने इस पुत्रको बचा सको तो बचाओ। मैं अर्जुन आज रणभूमिमें पहले उग्रवीर वृषसेनको मारूँगा; फिर तुझ विवेकशून्य सूतपुत्रका भी वध कर डालूँगा
saṃrakṣyatāṃ rathasaṃsthāḥ suto 'yaṃ; ahaṃ haniṣye vṛṣasenam ugram | paścād vadhiṣye tvām api sampramūḍha; ahaṃ haniṣye 'rjuna ājimadhye ||
Sañjaya said: “Let the great warriors seated in their chariots protect this son if they can. I shall strike down the fierce Vṛṣasena. Thereafter, you too—bewildered one—shall be slain by me. In the midst of battle, I, Arjuna, will kill you.” The utterance frames the coming combat as a moral reckoning: a public challenge to defend one’s kin and a vow of retribution, invoking the shame of earlier collective wrongdoing and demanding accountability on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of public vows and accountability: a wrong perceived as collective and dishonorable is answered by a direct, face-to-face challenge in battle, demanding that protection and kinship be tested openly rather than through unfair advantage.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield declaration in which Arjuna threatens to kill Vṛṣasena first and then another opponent, challenging the chariot-mounted warriors to protect Vṛṣasena if they are able. It sets up an imminent duel and frames it as retribution and a test of martial honor.