Shloka 9
कर्णेन भग्नान् पञ्चालान् द्रावयन् बहु शोभते । जनार्दन! ये पांचालयोद्धा कर्णसे डरकर भाग रहे हैं, यह राजा दुर्योधन है, जिसके ऊपर श्वेत छत्र तना हुआ है और कर्णने जिनके पाँव उखाड़ दिये हैं उन पांचालोंको खदेड़ता हुआ यह बड़ी शोभा पा रहा है ।।
arjuna uvāca | karṇena bhagnān pāñcālān drāvayan bahu śobhate | janārdana! ye pāñcālayoddhāḥ karṇase darakara bhāga rahe haiṃ, eṣa rājā duryodhanaḥ, yasyopari śveta-chatraṃ tanūtaṃ, karṇena ca yeṣāṃ pādā utkṛttāḥ, tān pāñcālān anudhāvann eṣa mahā-śobhāṃ labhate || kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca drauṇiś caiva mahārathaḥ | ete sūtaputreṇa saṃrakṣitā rājānaṃ duryodhanaṃ rakṣanti | yadi vayam etān trīn na nihanyāmaḥ, tarhi te asmākaṃ sainyānāṃ saṃhāraṃ kariṣyanti ||
Arjuna sprach: „Janārdana, sieh: Duryodhana erstrahlt, während er die Pāñcālas vor sich hertreibt, die Karṇa bereits zerschlagen hat. Unter dem weißen königlichen Schirm verfolgt er jene Pāñcāla-Krieger, die aus Furcht vor dem Sohn des Sūta fliehen, und erwirbt großen Ruhm, indem er gerade die bedrängt, deren Standfestigkeit Karṇa erschüttert hat. Und Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā sowie der große Wagenkrieger Aśvatthāmā — von Karṇa geschützt — stehen Wache bei König Duryodhana. Wenn wir diese drei nicht niederstrecken, werden sie Verderben über unsere Heere bringen.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the ethics of battlefield dharma, Arjuna frames targeted action as a necessity: when key protectors sustain an unjust power and threaten mass destruction, decisive engagement against those pillars is presented as a grim but strategic duty rather than personal hatred.
Arjuna points out that Duryodhana, under the royal white parasol, is pursuing the Pāñcāla troops who have been broken by Karṇa. He then identifies three major defenders—Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Aśvatthāmā—shielding Duryodhana under Karṇa’s protection, and argues they must be slain to prevent devastation of the Pāṇḍava army.