Shloka 3
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
ततः क्रुद्धो महाराज द्रोणपुत्र: प्रतापवान् । अर्जुन वासुदेवं च छादयामास सायकै:,महाराज! तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए प्रतापी द्रोणपुत्रने अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णको अपने बाणोंसे ढक दिया
tataḥ kruddho mahārāja droṇaputraḥ pratāpavān | arjuna-vāsudevaṃ ca chādayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da, o König, überschüttete der tapfere Sohn Droṇas, von Zorn entflammt, Arjuna und Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) mit einem so dichten Pfeilhagel, als bedecke er beide zugleich.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can intensify aggression and cloud discernment in conflict, whereas Arjuna’s alignment with Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) evokes steadiness and right orientation amid violence—an implicit contrast between passion-driven action and guided composure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, enraged, unleashes such a dense volley of arrows that Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa appear ‘covered’ by them—signaling a fierce escalation in the battle.