Shloka 9
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
ततोडअर्जुनो हयान् हत्वा सर्वास्तस्य महात्मन: । चकार समरे भूमिं शोणितौघतरज्ञषिणीम्
tato 'rjuno hayān hatvā sarvāṁs tasya mahātmanaḥ | cakāra samare bhūmiṁ śoṇitaughatararṣiṇīm ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann tötete Arjuna alle Pferde jenes großen Kriegers und verwandelte den Boden des Schlachtfeldes in eine von Blutströmen überflutete Weite. Die Erzählung betont die düstere ethische Last des Krieges: Selbst wenn er als Pflicht geführt wird, ist seine unmittelbare Frucht Verwüstung, und Tapferkeit wird an schrecklichen, unwiderruflichen Kosten gemessen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of righteous warfare: even when undertaken as kṣatriya-duty, victory manifests through destruction. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic human cost embedded in dharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna strikes down all the horses of a great warrior’s chariot, disabling his mobility. The slaughter is so intense that the battlefield is described as flowing with a torrent of blood.