Shloka 8
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
स दिश: प्रदिशश्वैव च्छादयित्वा हाुजिदह्ागै: । वासुदेवं त्रिभिर्बाणैरविध्यद् दक्षिणे भुजे
sa diśaḥ pradiśaś caiva chādayitvā hājidahāgaiḥ | vāsudevaṃ tribhir bāṇair avidhyad dakṣiṇe bhuje ||
Sañjaya sprach: Mit seinen schnellen, geradlinig fliegenden Pfeilen verhüllte er die Himmelsrichtungen und Zwischenrichtungen und traf Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) mit drei Geschossen am rechten Arm—eine Tat, die die Wildheit der Schlacht steigert und zeigt, dass selbst Arjunas Wagenlenker unter der unerbittlichen Kriegsordnung in Gefahr gerät.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and impartial danger of battlefield dharma: even revered figures like Kṛṣṇa, serving as a charioteer, are not exempt from harm. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty, the limits of violence, and the grim moral atmosphere of war where skill and aggression can momentarily eclipse reverence.
In the midst of combat, an unnamed warrior (contextually the opposing archer) releases a volley that seems to fill the sky in all directions, then specifically hits Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) with three arrows on his right arm, escalating the confrontation around Arjuna’s chariot.