Shloka 23
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
अथाब्रवीद वासुदेव: पार्थ कि क्रीडसेडनघ । संशप्तकान् प्रमथ्यैनांस्तत: कर्णवधे त्वर,अर्जुन हाथी, घोड़े, रथ और पैदलसमूहोंसे युक्त तथा महान् अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके प्रवाहसे परिपूर्ण उस सैन्य-समुद्रको अपने अस्त्र-शस्त्ररूपी पुलके द्वारा सहसा पार कर जाना चाहते थे। उस समय भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने उनसे कहा--“निष्पाप पार्थ! यह क्या खिलवाड़ कर रहे हो? इन संशप्तकोंका संहार करके कर्णके वधका शीजघ्रतापूर्वक प्रयत्न करो”
athābravīd vāsudevaḥ pārtha kiṁ krīḍased anagha | saṁśaptakān pramathyaināṁs tataḥ karṇavadhe tvara ||
Sañjaya said: Then Vāsudeva spoke, “O Pārtha, blameless one—why do you sport as though in play? First crush these Saṁśaptakas, and then hasten your effort toward the slaying of Karṇa.” The rebuke frames the battle as a grave moral task: Arjuna must not treat war as display or diversion, but as disciplined action directed toward the necessary objective.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa urges Arjuna to replace showmanship with disciplined duty: war is not a stage for play, but a serious responsibility requiring focus on the rightful objective and timely action.
In the midst of battle, Kṛṣṇa (as Arjuna’s charioteer) admonishes Arjuna for seeming to fight as if in sport and instructs him to first subdue the Saṁśaptakas and then quickly proceed toward the decisive task of confronting and killing Karṇa.