Shloka 17
उस समय भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने उनसे कहा--'पाण्डुनन्दन! कुन्तीकुमार! यह क्या बात है कि तुम मना करनेपर भी युद्धसे निवृत्त नहीं हो रहे हो। यदि ये कौरवनन्दन इस समय युद्धसे ही जीते जा सकते तो हम और ये सभी नरश्रेष्ठ राजा लोग युद्ध ही करते ।। रथेभ्यस्त्ववतीर्णा: सम सर्व एव हि तावका: | तस्मात् त्वमपि कौन्तेय रथात् तूर्णमपाक्रम,“तुम्हारे सभी सैनिक रथसे उतर गये हैं। कुन्तीकुमार! अब तुम भी शीघ्र ही रथसे उतरकर युद्धसे अलग हो जाओ”
tadā bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇas tān uvāca— “pāṇḍunandana! kuntīkumāra! kim idaṃ te, yac chānto ’pi yuddhān na nivartase? yadi kṣaṇe ’smin kauravanandanair yuddhenaiva jayo labhyaḥ syāt, vayaṃ caite sarve narottamā rājāno yuddham eva kuryāma. rathēbhyaḥ tv avātīrṇāḥ samaṃ sarva eva hi tāvakāḥ; tasmāt tvam api kaunteya rathāt tūṛṇam apākramasva— rathād avaruhya yuddhāt nivartasva.”
At that moment, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa addressed him: “O son of Pāṇḍu, O son of Kuntī—what is this, that even after being restrained you still do not withdraw from the fight? If the sons of the Kuru could be conquered at this time by battle alone, then we and all these foremost kings would indeed choose battle. But your troops have all dismounted from their chariots together; therefore, O Kaunteya, you too quickly step down from the chariot and disengage from the combat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa emphasizes restraint and right judgment in warfare: when victory cannot be secured by mere fighting, a leader should not persist out of impulse or pride. Ethical leadership includes knowing when to disengage, aligning action with dharma and the larger strategic good rather than blind valor.
In Sañjaya’s report, Kṛṣṇa addresses a Pāṇḍava (called Pāṇḍunandana/Kaunteya), questioning why he continues despite being checked. Seeing that the troops have dismounted from their chariots, Kṛṣṇa urges him to quickly step down and withdraw from the immediate engagement.