Shloka 31
अर्जुनस्य रथाश्वमोचनं कृष्णस्याश्वसेवा च
Arjuna’s Horses Freed; Krishna’s Equine Service
कुरव: पाण्डवाश्वैव वृष्णयोडन्ये च मानवा: । अहं च सह पुत्रेण अश्चुवा इति चिन्त्यताम्,कौरव-पाण्डव, वृष्णिवंशी योद्धा, अन्य मनुष्य तथा पुत्रसहित मैं--ये सभी अस्थिर (नाशवान) हैं--ऐसा चिन्तन करो
kuravāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva vṛṣṇayo 'nye ca mānavāḥ | ahaṃ ca saha putreṇa aśvāv iti cintyatām ||
Sañjaya said: “Let it be reflected upon that the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, the Vṛṣṇis and other men—and I too, together with my son, and even the horses—are all unstable and perishable.” In the midst of war’s frenzy, the verse urges sober contemplation of mortality, cutting through factional pride and reminding that all embodied beings share the same impermanence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches contemplation of impermanence: all parties in war—friends and foes alike, even animals—are transient. This reflection restrains arrogance, hatred, and possessiveness, and frames action within ethical sobriety.
In Drona Parva’s battle context, Sañjaya reports a reflective admonition: instead of being consumed by factional identity (Kuru, Pāṇḍava, Vṛṣṇi), one should recognize that everyone present in the conflict is subject to destruction.