Shloka 47
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
संनिवार्य च योधान् स सत्येन शपथेन च । प्रायोजयदमेयात्मा भार्गवास्त्र महाबल:
sannivārya ca yodhān sa satyena śapathena ca | prāyojayad ameyātmā bhārgavāstra-mahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er die Kämpfer gezügelt und sie durch Wahrheit und feierlichen Schwur gebunden hatte, setzte er—von unermesslichem Geist und von großer Macht in der Bhārgava-Waffe—sie an ihr Werk.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, leadership is not merely coercion; it also relies on moral instruments—truthfulness (satya) and binding vows (śapatha)—to restrain impulsive violence and enforce disciplined, accountable action.
Sañjaya reports that a powerful figure, skilled in the Bhārgava weapon, first restrains the warriors and then directs them to act, compelling obedience through an appeal to truth and the force of a solemn oath.