Shloka 28
गच्छ त्वमपि कौन्तेयमात्मार्थ जहि मा चिरम्,“तुम भी जाओ, अपने हितके लिये कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनको शीघ्र ही मार डालो। तुम भी तो कुलीन क्षत्रिय हो। मैं आशा करता हूँ, तुममें भी युद्ध करनेकी शक्ति है ही, फिर इन सम्पूर्ण निरपराध क्षत्रियोंको क्यों व्यर्थ कटवाओगे?
gaccha tvam api kaunteyam ātmārthaṃ jahi mā ciram
सञ्जय उवाच—गच्छ त्वमपि कौन्तेयम् आत्मार्थं जहि मा चिरम्। कुलीनः क्षत्रियोऽसि त्वं; योद्धुं ते बलमस्ति मे मतिः। किं नु निरपराधान् सर्वान् क्षत्रियान् व्यर्थं घातयसि॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a hard-edged kṣatriya ethic: decisive action against the key opponent is urged to prevent wider, needless slaughter. It highlights the moral tension between strategic necessity and the claim of protecting ‘blameless’ warriors from futile death.
Sañjaya reports a piece of battlefield counsel: someone is being urged to personally engage and quickly kill Arjuna (Kaunteya), arguing that the addressee is a capable noble warrior and that delay only causes many other kṣatriyas to die pointlessly.