Shloka 21
अर्जुनकर्णयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Arjuna–Karṇa Engagement and Counsel to Duryodhana
अथोपयातोौ पृथुलोहिताक्षौ शराचिताज्ै रुधिरप्रदिग्धौ । समीक्ष्य सेनाग्रनरप्रवीरौ युधिष्ठिरो वाक्यमिदं बभाषे
athopayātau pṛthulohitākṣau śarācitājai rudhirapradigdhau | samīkṣya senāgranara-pravīrau yudhiṣṭhiro vākyam idaṃ babhāṣe ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da traten Kṛṣṇa und Arjuna—beide von breiter Gestalt und mit geröteten Augen—näher heran, ihre Leiber von Pfeilen durchbohrt und mit Blut verschmiert. Als Yudhiṣṭhira diese vordersten Helden sah, die an der Spitze des Heeres kämpften, begann er wie folgt zu sprechen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even divinely guided and heroic figures bear wounds and blood, reminding a righteous king like Yudhiṣṭhira that victory is inseparable from suffering and responsibility. It frames speech and judgment in war as acts of dharma, not mere strategy.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna approach, visibly injured—pierced by arrows and blood-smeared—after fighting at the army’s front. On seeing them, Yudhiṣṭhira begins a conversation, setting up the next exchange in the chapter.