Shloka 1
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके २३ “लोक मिलाकर कुल ४०३ श्लोक हैं।) ऑपन-साज बछ। अफि्-"ऋाज चतु:षष्टितमो<5 ध्याय: अर्जुनद्वारा अश्वत्थामाकी पराजय
sañjaya uvāca | drauṇis tu rathavaṃśena mahatā parivāritaḥ | apatat sahasā rājan yatra pārtho vyavasthitaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, Aśvatthāmā, Droṇas Sohn—von einer großen Masse an Streitwagen umringt—stürmte plötzlich zu dem Ort, wo Pārtha (Arjuna) in Schlachtordnung stand.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sudden, force-backed aggression (sahasā apatat) initiates confrontations whose outcomes depend not only on strength but also on steadiness and right conduct; it foreshadows the ethical tension between impetuous wrath and disciplined kṣatriya responsibility.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, supported by a large chariot contingent, abruptly charges toward the position where Arjuna is stationed, setting up a direct engagement.