Shloka 7

उत्तरोपदेशः

Uttara’s Fear and Arjuna’s Martial Reassertion

Devanagari script

तमन्वशासच्छत्रुघ्नो रथे तिष्तन्‌ धनंजय: । अवरोपय वृक्षाग्राद धनूंष्येतानि मा चिरम्‌

Transliteration

tam anvāśāsac chatrughno rathe tiṣṭhan dhanañjayaḥ | avaropaya vṛkṣāgrād dhanūṃṣy etāni mā ciram ||

Translation

तमन्वशासच्छत्रुघ्नो रथे तिष्ठन् धनंजयः । अवरोपय वृक्षाग्राद् धनूंष्येतानि मा चिरम् ॥

Word by Word

तम्him

अन्वशासत्instructed/commanded

शत्रुघ्नःŚatrughna (enemy-slayer)

रथेin/on the chariot

तिष्ठन्standing

धनंजयःDhanañjaya (Arjuna)

अवरोपयcause to bring down / take down

वृक्षाग्रात्from the top of the tree

धनूंषिbows

एतानिthese

माdo not

चिरम्for long / long time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Chatru-ghna

chariot

tree-top

bows

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined promptness in carrying out one’s duty: when a righteous task is clear and danger is near, delay (cira) becomes a moral and practical fault.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna (Dhanañjaya), standing on the chariot, orders Chatru-ghna to quickly retrieve the bows kept atop a tree—signaling immediate preparation for the confrontation that is about to unfold.