Shloka 24
तत: किरीटी परवीरघाती हताश्चमालोक्य नरप्रवीर: । माद्रीसुतं नकुलं लोकमध्ये समीक्ष्य कृष्णं भृशविक्षतं च
tataḥ kirīṭī paravīraghātī hatāṃś ca mālokya narapravīraḥ | mādrīsutaṃ nakulaṃ lokamadhye samīkṣya kṛṣṇaṃ bhṛśavikṣataṃ ca ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da sah Arjuna, der Diademtragende, der Bezwinger feindlicher Helden, der Vornehmste der Menschen, die Krieger erschlagen daliegen; und als er Nakula, den Sohn Mādrīs, mitten im Heer gefallen sah, und auch Kṛṣṇa schwer verwundet erblickte, ergriff ihn Schmerz und bange Bestürzung im Angesicht der Kriegsverwüstung.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of warfare: even the greatest hero, trained for battle, is shaken when confronted with the human cost—fallen comrades and a wounded ally. It underscores that dharma in war is not mere victory, but the capacity to remain ethically awake to suffering and responsibility.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna surveying the battlefield. He sees many slain, notices Nakula (Mādrī’s son) down in the middle of the host, and also sees Kṛṣṇa badly wounded. This sight intensifies the sense of crisis and grief in the ongoing combat of the Karṇa Parva.