Shloka 303
द्रोणमुत्सूज्य गच्छाम: कृत्यमेतन्महत्तरम् । तत्पश्चात् श्रीकृष्ण अर्जुनसे इस प्रकार बोले--'अर्जुन! अर्जुन! महाबाहो! हमारा अधिक समय यहाँ न बीत जाय, इसलिये द्रोणाचार्यको छोड़कर आगे चलें; यही इस समय सबसे महान् कार्य है”
sañjaya uvāca | droṇam utsṛjya gacchāmaḥ kṛtyam etan mahattaram | tatpaścāt śrīkṛṣṇaḥ arjunam iti uvāca— “arjuna arjuna mahābāho! asmākam adhikaḥ samayaḥ iha na vyatīyāt, tasmāt droṇācāryaṃ parityajya agre gacchāmaḥ; etad eva asmin samaye sarvottamaṃ kṛtyam” |
Sanjaya said: “Leaving Droṇa behind, let us move on; this is the greater duty at this moment.” After that, Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke to Arjuna in this manner: “Arjuna, Arjuna, mighty-armed! Let not too much of our time be spent here. Therefore, leaving Droṇācārya, let us advance; this, right now, is the highest task.” The passage frames a hard wartime choice: restraining attachment and urgency, and prioritizing the immediate strategic duty over lingering with a formidable elder-teacher on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes prioritizing immediate duty (kṛtya) and strategic necessity over hesitation or emotional fixation, even when the object is a revered elder like Droṇācārya. In a crisis, dharma is expressed as timely, decisive action aligned with the larger objective.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛṣṇa urges Arjuna not to waste time near Droṇa and to advance. The scene conveys battlefield urgency: they must move on to the next critical action rather than remain engaged or stalled around Droṇa.