Shloka 213

Devanagari script

यद्‌ ब्रूयात्‌ तत्‌ तथा कार्यमिति बुद्ध्यस्व माधव । 'जो मैं हूँ उसे अर्जुन समझिये, जो अर्जुन हैं वह मैं ही हूँ। माधव! अर्जुन जो कुछ भी कहें वैसा ही आपलोगोंको करना चाहिये। इस बातको अच्छी तरह समझ लें

Transliteration

yad brūyāt tat tathā kāryam iti buddhyasva mādhava |

Translation

Vasudeva said: “Whatever he may say, that must be carried out exactly so—understand this clearly, O Mādhava. Regard me as Arjuna, and Arjuna as me. Mādhava, whatever Arjuna says, you must do accordingly. Grasp this well.”

Word by Word

यत्whatever (that which)

ब्रूयात्should say / might say

तत्that

तथाthus / in that manner

कार्यम्to be done / should be done

इतिthus (quotative marker)

बुद्ध्यस्वunderstand / realize

माधवO Madhava (Krishna)

Speaker

वसुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasudeva

Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa)

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 stresses disciplined adherence to rightful instruction: when a trusted, dharmic authority gives a directive, it should be executed exactly as spoken, without distortion or delay.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Mausala Parva’s tense aftermath, Vasudeva addresses Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa), emphasizing that a particular person’s words are to be treated as binding and must be carried out precisely, reflecting urgency and the need for coordinated action.