Shloka 60
'परंतु याद रख, मैं चाहूँ, तो इन सम्पूर्ण नरेशोंको अपनी क्रोधाग्निसे उसी प्रकार भस्म कर सकता हूँ, जैसे आग घास-फूसको जला डालती है। किंतु युद्धके अन्ततक मुझे ऐसा करनेका अवसर न मिले; यही मेरी इच्छा है ।। युधिष्ठिरनियोगात् तु फाल्गुनस्य महात्मन: । करिष्ये युध्यमानस्य सारथ्यं विजितात्मन:,'राजा युधिष्ठिरके अनुरोधसे मैं जितेन्द्रिय महात्मा अर्जुनके युद्ध करते समय उनके सारथिका काम अवश्य करूँगा
yudhiṣṭhira-niyogāt tu phālgunasya mahātmanaḥ | kariṣye yudhyamānasya sārathyaṁ vijitātmanaḥ ||
“But remember: if I wished, I could burn all these kings to ashes with the fire of my wrath, as fire consumes dry grass. Yet it is my will that, until the war’s end, no occasion arise for me to do so. And at King Yudhiṣṭhira’s request, I will certainly serve as the charioteer of Arjuna (Phālguna), that great-souled master of himself, while he fights.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power should be governed by dharma and restraint. Kṛṣṇa chooses not to resolve the conflict by overwhelming force; instead, he commits to righteous support and guidance—serving as Arjuna’s charioteer—so that the moral and human dimensions of the war unfold according to duty.
In the lead-up to the Kurukṣetra war, Kṛṣṇa states that, prompted by Yudhiṣṭhira’s request, he will take the role of charioteer for Arjuna during battle. This frames Kṛṣṇa’s participation as intentional service and strategic guidance rather than direct divine destruction of enemies.