Shloka 32
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
सज्यं कृत्वा निमेषाच्च विव्याधार्जुनकेशवौ । त्रिभि: शतैर्वासुदेवं सहस्नेण च पाण्डवम्
sajyaṃ kṛtvā nimeṣācca vivyādhārjunakeśavau | tribhiḥ śatair vāsudevaṃ sahasreṇa ca pāṇḍavam ||
Sañjaya said: In the very blink of an eye, having strung his bow, he pierced both Arjuna and Keśava. With three hundred arrows he struck Vāsudeva, and with a thousand he struck the Pāṇḍava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ferocity and moral tension of dharmic warfare: extraordinary skill can be used for grave harm, and even the greatest figures are not beyond the reach of suffering in battle. It invites reflection on restraint, responsibility, and the heavy ethical cost inherent in armed conflict.
Sañjaya reports a rapid battlefield feat: an unnamed warrior (contextually, the opposing archer in this episode) strings his bow instantly and shoots to wound both Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa (Keśava/Vāsudeva), striking Kṛṣṇa with 300 arrows and Arjuna with 1000.