स तांल् लब्धोदकान् स्नाताञ् जग्धान्नान् विगतक्लमान् ॥
योजयाम् आस संहृष्टः पुनर् एव रथोत्तमे ॥
स तं रथवरं शौरिः सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरः ॥
समास्थाय महातेजाः सार्जुनः प्रययौ द्रुतम् ॥
रथं रथवरस्याजौ युक्तं लब्धोदकैर् हयैः ॥
दृष्ट्वा कुरुबलश्रेष्ठाः पुनर् विमनसो ऽभवन् ॥
sa tāṃl labdhodakān snātāñ jagdhānnān vigataklamān ||
yojayām āsa saṃhṛṣṭaḥ punar eva rathottame ||
sa taṃ rathavaraṃ śauriḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ ||
samāsthāya mahātejāḥ sārjunaḥ prayayau drutam ||
rathaṃ rathavarasyājau yuktaṃ labdhodakair hayaiḥ ||
dṛṣṭvā kurubalaśreṣṭhāḥ punar vimanaso 'bhavan ||
He, having those horses watered, bathed, fed, and freed from weariness, joyfully yoked them again to the best chariot. He, Shauri, the best of all bearers of weapons, mighty, having mounted that finest chariot, sped swiftly with Arjuna. Seeing the chariot of the best charioteer, yoked with watered horses, the best of the Kuru army again fell in spirit.
40dac11c6dc0 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
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Rest turned into new strength: the refreshed horses are yoked, and the Kauravas 'punaḥ vimanasaḥ abhavan,' fell in spirit once more. The respite, granted out of care, doubled the strength. It is telling that care for the small (the horses) turned into a strategic advantage. The verse teaches that mercy is neither weakness nor a waste of time: attending to the speechless restored strength for the main task; and what the enemies took for a delay turned into a renewal of power — for a good deed is never to the harm of the cause.