Shloka 22
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
अपरे कृष्यमाणाश्रन विचेष्टन्तो महीतले । भावान् बहुविधांश्वक्रुस्ताडिता: शरतोमरै:
apare kṛṣyamāṇāś ca viceṣṭanto mahītale | bhāvān bahuvidhāṁś cakrus tāḍitāḥ śaratomaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Other horses, struck by arrows and javelins, were dragged along and writhed upon the ground, displaying many kinds of distress and agitation. The scene underscores the brutal momentum of battle, where even the innocent mounts are swept into suffering by the warriors’ violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collateral suffering produced by warfare: even animals are dragged into pain and terror. Ethically, it invites reflection on the far-reaching harm of violence and the responsibility borne by those who choose battle.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where horses, struck by arrows and javelins, fall and writhe on the ground; some are dragged along, struggling and showing varied signs of distress amid the chaos of combat.