Shloka 68
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
सृष्टे तमसि कृष्णेन गतो5स्तमिति भास्कर:
sṛṣṭe tamasi kṛṣṇena gato 'stam iti bhāskaraḥ
Sañjaya sprach: Als Kṛṣṇa die Finsternis hervorgebracht hatte, meinte man, die Sonne sei untergegangen. Im Aufruhr des Krieges verwirrte dieses göttlich bewirkte Dunkel Wahrnehmung und selbst die Zeit, und zeigte, wie außerordentliche Macht auf dem Schlachtfeld gewöhnliche moralische und praktische Gewissheiten umstürzen kann.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perception and judgment can be overturned in extreme circumstances, especially when extraordinary (even divine) forces intervene. Ethically, it points to the tension between dharma and strategic necessity in war, where even the natural order (day and night) may appear disrupted, testing discernment and moral steadiness.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛṣṇa caused darkness to arise, and because of that gloom the warriors believed the Sun had set. The battlefield’s sense of time and visibility is thrown into confusion, affecting decisions and the course of combat.