Shloka 73
तांस्तत्र जहि कौन्तेय गुर्वर्थस्ते भविष्यति । ततो मातलिसंयुक्त मयूरसमरोमभि:,*वे समुद्रके भीतर दुर्गम स्थानका आश्रय लेकर रहते हैं। उनकी संख्या तीन करोड़ बतायी जाती है और उन सभीके रूप, बल और तेज एक समान हैं। कुन्तीनन्दन! तुम उन दानवोंका संहार कर डालो। इतने से ही तुम्हारी गुरु-दक्षिणा पूरी हो जायगी।' ऐसा कहकर इन्द्रने मुझे एक अत्यन्त कान्तिमान् दिव्य रथ प्रदान किया, जिसे मातलि जोतकर लाये थे। उसमें मयूरोंके समान रोमवाले घोड़े जुते हुए थे। रथ आ जानेपर देवराजने यह उत्तम किरीट मेरे मस्तकपर बाँध दिया
tāṁs tatra jahi kaunteya gurv-arthaḥ te bhaviṣyati | tato mātali-saṁyukta mayūra-sama-romabhiḥ ||
Arjuna said: "Slay them there, O son of Kuntī; by doing so your purpose of serving the guru will be fulfilled. Then (you shall proceed) with Mātali, in a chariot drawn by horses whose coats are like peacocks’ plumage." In context, the line frames righteous violence as a duty undertaken not for personal gain but as a disciplined act of service—guru-dakṣiṇā—within a divinely sanctioned mission.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents action in battle as ethically bounded by dharma: violence is not celebrated for its own sake but undertaken as a disciplined duty—here, as guru-dakṣiṇā (service/repayment to one’s teacher) and as part of a divinely authorized task.
Arjuna speaks of a command to destroy certain foes at a specific location, stating that this will complete his obligation to the guru. The verse also alludes to the next stage of the mission involving Mātali and a splendid chariot drawn by peacock-like horses, signaling divine support and readiness for the undertaking.