Shloka 46
शमीवृक्षस्थायुधप्रकाशनम् / Revelation and Identification of the Weapons on the Śamī Tree
अथैनमब्रवीत् पार्थों भयार्त॑ नष्टचेतसम् | यदि नोत्सहसे योदधुं शत्रुभि: शत्रुकर्षण । एहि मे त्वं हयान् यच्छ युध्यमानस्य शत्रुभि:
athainam abravīt pārtho bhayārtaṁ naṣṭa-cetasam | yadi notsahase yoddhuṁ śatrubhiḥ śatru-karṣaṇa | ehi me tvaṁ hayān yaccha yudhyamānasya śatrubhiḥ ||
Lalu Pārtha (Arjuna) berkata kepadanya yang dilanda ketakutan hingga hilang pertimbangan: “Wahai penunduk musuh, jika engkau tidak berani bertempur melawan mereka, maka datanglah—pegang dan uruskan kuda-kudaku ketika aku bertempur dengan musuh.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When fear overwhelms someone, a leader can preserve dharma and effectiveness by assigning a fitting duty rather than condemning them—channeling weakness into service while upholding the larger responsibility.
In the Virāṭa episode where the prince loses nerve before battle, Arjuna addresses him and proposes a practical alternative: if he cannot fight, he should at least manage the horses while Arjuna fights the enemies.