Shloka 26
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
एवमुक्तो5वहत् पार्थ कृष्णो द्रोणात्मजान्तिके । जैत्रेण विधिना55हूतं वायुरिन्द्रमिवाध्वरे
evam ukto ’vahat pārthaḥ kṛṣṇo droṇātmajāntike | jaitreṇa vidhināhūtaṃ vāyur indram ivādhvare ||
Sañjaya said: Thus addressed, Kṛṣṇa drove Pārtha (Arjuna) in his victory-bearing chariot to the presence of Droṇa’s son. It was like Vāyu, by the proper Vedic procedure, conveying Indra—once invoked—into the sacrificial rite.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined agency: Kṛṣṇa’s guidance moves Arjuna toward a decisive confrontation, and the ritual simile (vidhi, āhūta) suggests that power and action are most effective—and ethically framed—when directed through proper order and right method, even in the chaos of war.
After being addressed, Kṛṣṇa, acting as charioteer, drives Arjuna in a victory-bearing chariot to the vicinity of Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, setting up their encounter; the poet compares this to Vāyu bringing the invoked Indra into the sacrificial arena.