Shloka 15
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
अर्जुनस्यापि नेता च संयन्ता चैव वाजिनाम्
arjunasya api netā ca saṁyantā caiva vājinām
Vaiśampāyana said: “He is also Arjuna’s guide, and indeed the charioteer who restrains and directs the horses.” The line underscores that Arjuna’s prowess in war is inseparable from disciplined guidance and skilled control—strength made ethical through right leadership and mastery over powerful forces.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True martial power depends on right guidance and disciplined control: a warrior’s success is sustained by a capable guide and the mastery that keeps powerful forces (like horses, or metaphorically the senses and impulses) aligned with purpose and dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes the person associated with Arjuna as both his guide (netā) and the controller of his horses (saṁyantā), highlighting the crucial role of the charioteer in directing Arjuna’s chariot and, by extension, his course in the coming conflict.