Verse 11.33

तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व

जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम् ।

मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वमेव

निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् ॥

11.33

Transliteration

tasmāttvamuttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva

jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṃ samṛddham |

mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvameva

nimittamātraṃ bhava savyasācin ||

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · @indic-transliteration/sanscript 1.3.3

Translation

Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Coner the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. Verily by Me have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna.

From the owner's sheet · +1 more

Word by word

therefore
you
arise
glory
win

conquering
foes
enjoy
kingdom
prosperous

by me
alone
these
are slain
already
indeed

merely the instrument
be
O ambidextrous archer

By Sanskrit System · Machine draft · claude-opus-5-5 · 2026-11-08

Explanation

Krishna draws the practical conclusion: Arjuna should stand up, gain honour and win the kingdom. The warriors have already been struck down by Krishna; Arjuna is to be nimitta-mātra, merely the instrument or occasion. This phrase has been read in many ways. Some see it as relieving Arjuna of the burden of ownership over the outcome, so that he acts without ego. Others stress that an instrument still acts and remains responsible for acting rightly. The address savyasācin, one who can shoot with either hand, recalls his unrivalled skill, now to be offered in service.