Shloka 19
को हि द्रोणं च भीष्मं च भगदत्तं च मारिष
sañjaya uvāca | ko hi droṇaṃ ca bhīṣmaṃ ca bhagadattaṃ ca māriṣa, prayāhi śīghraṃ govinda sūtaputra-jighāṃsayā ||
सञ्जय उवाच— को हि द्रोणं च भीष्मं च भगदत्तं च मारिष । प्रयाहि शीघ्रं गोविन्द सूतपुत्रजिघांसया ॥ “गोविन्द! रथो मे सज्जो भवतु; पुनरुत्तमान् हयान् योजयन्तु, महति रथे सर्वाण्यस्त्रशस्त्राणि सम्यक् सन्नद्धानि स्थापयन्तु। अश्वारोहिभिः शिक्षिताः परितप्ताश्च हया रथोपकरणैः सुसज्जिताः शीघ्रमिहागच्छन्तु; त्वं च सूतपुत्रजिघांसया त्वरितं प्रस्थानं कुरु।”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the wartime ethic of decisive action under dharma as understood by the combatants: when a formidable threat is perceived, delay is treated as moral and strategic failure. It also implicitly shows the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—duty to protect one’s side can drive escalating violence, even as the narrative invites reflection on the cost of such necessity.
Sañjaya reports an urgent exhortation addressed to Govinda (Kṛṣṇa), pressing him to depart quickly with the intent to kill Karṇa (called ‘sūtaputra’). The speaker underscores the gravity of the battlefield by invoking renowned warriors—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Bhagadatta—framing Karṇa’s elimination as an immediate strategic priority.