Verse 11.33
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व जित्वा शत्रून्भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् | मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वमेव निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् ||३३||
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham | mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin ||33||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
Therefore arise and gain glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. They have already been slain by Me; be merely an instrument, O Savyasachin.
Commentary
Krishna commands Arjuna to act, revealing that the outcome is already determined. 'Nimitta-mātram bhava' (be merely an instrument) is a profound teaching on the relationship between divine will and human action. Madhva explains that this does not negate free will but reveals that Arjuna's duty aligns with cosmic necessity. Shankaracharya interprets this as the resolution of Arjuna's moral dilemma - he is not the true agent of destruction.