Shloka 9
कर्णभीमसमागमः | Karṇa–Bhīma Encounter
एतदर्थ विदित्वापि सारथ्यमुपजग्मिवान् । स्वयंभूरिव रुद्रस्य कृष्ण: पार्थस्य भारत
etad-arthaṃ viditvāpi sārathyam upajagmivān | svayambhūr iva rudrasya kṛṣṇaḥ pārthasya bhārata ||
Śalya said: “Even while fully knowing the purpose and consequence of this, Kṛṣṇa nevertheless undertook the role of charioteer. O Bhārata, just as Svayambhū (Brahmā) became the charioteer of Rudra, so Kṛṣṇa has become the charioteer of Pārtha (Arjuna).”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True leadership may take the form of service: Kṛṣṇa, fully aware of outcomes, chooses the charioteer’s role to guide Arjuna toward dharma. The verse highlights deliberate, ethically purposeful action rather than compulsion or ignorance.
Śalya comments on Kṛṣṇa’s decision to serve as Arjuna’s charioteer, comparing it to the mythic precedent of Brahmā acting as Rudra’s charioteer. The comparison elevates Kṛṣṇa’s role as intentional and divinely significant within the war context.