Shloka 105
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
गच्छ वा यत्र तौ कृष्णौ तौ त्वां रक्षिष्यतो रणे । गृहं वा गच्छ कौन्तेय कि ते युद्धेन बालक,“अथवा जहाँ श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन हैं, वहीं चला जा। वे रणभूमिमें तेरी रक्षा करेंगे अथवा कुन्तीकुमार! तू घर चला जा। बच्चे! तुझे युद्धसे क्या लाभ है?”
gaccha vā yatra tau kṛṣṇau tau tvāṃ rakṣiṣyato raṇe | gṛhaṃ vā gaccha kaunteya ki te yuddhena bālaka ||
सञ्जय उवाच— गच्छ वा यत्र तौ कृष्णौ तौ त्वां रक्षिष्यतो रणे; गृहं वा गच्छ कौन्तेय किं ते युद्धेन बालक॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores prudent counsel in war: an inexperienced or vulnerable person should seek the protection of proven guardians (Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna) or withdraw from needless danger. It implies an ethical preference for preserving life and avoiding futile combat when one lacks the capacity or duty to fight effectively.
Sañjaya reports a piece of battlefield advice addressed to a ‘Kaunteya’: either go to the side where Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are positioned—since they can protect you in the fighting—or return home, because for a ‘child’ war offers no meaningful gain.