Shloka 26
ततः स कृतवर्माणं मोहयित्वार्जुन: शरै: । अभ्यगाज्जवनैरश्वै:ः काम्बोजानामनीकिनीम्,तब अर्जुन अपने बाणोंद्वारा कृतवर्माको मूर्च्छिंत करके अपने वेगशाली घोड़ोंद्वारा काम्बोजोंकी सेनापर आक्रमण करने लगे
tataḥ sa kṛtavarmāṇaṃ mohayitvārjunaḥ śaraiḥ | abhyagāj javanair aśvaiḥ kāmbojānām anīkinīm ||
Sañjaya said: Then Arjuna, bewildering Kṛtavarmā with his arrows, swiftly advanced with his fast horses and fell upon the Kāmboja host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in action: a warrior must act decisively to neutralize immediate danger and protect strategic aims. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield imperative of swift, proportionate response—disabling an opponent and then turning to the larger hostile force threatening one’s side.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna strikes Kṛtavarmā with arrows so that he becomes confused or faints, and then Arjuna quickly drives his chariot (drawn by swift horses) into the Kāmboja formation, launching an attack on their host.