Shloka 696
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
निजग्राह हृषीकेशं कथंचिद् दशमे पदे । तब शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले अर्जुनने बलपूर्वक भगवान्के चरणोंको पकड़ लिया और इस प्रकार दसवें कदमतक जाते-जाते वे किसी प्रकार हृषीकेशको रोकनेमें सफल हो सके
sañjaya uvāca | nijagrāha hṛṣīkeśaṃ kathaṃcid daśame pade |
Sañjaya said: Arjuna, the mighty slayer of enemy heroes, forcibly seized Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa) and caught hold of the Lord’s feet. Thus, even as Kṛṣṇa had advanced to the tenth step, Arjuna somehow managed to restrain him. The scene underscores the moral urgency of preventing a catastrophic act in war and the devotee’s desperate appeal to the divine charioteer to return to restraint and right conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid righteous warfare, moral boundaries and self-restraint remain crucial; when a grave transgression is imminent, one must urgently intervene. Arjuna’s act also reflects devotional dependence—appealing to the divine guide to return to measured, dharmic conduct.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛṣṇa (Hṛṣīkeśa) has moved forward in anger or resolve, and Arjuna physically restrains him by seizing him and holding his feet, managing to stop him as he reaches the tenth step.