Shloka 24
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
धावमानान् परांश्चान्यान् दृष्टवान्ये तत्र भारत | गोत्रनामानि ख्यातानि शशंसुरितरेतरम्,भरतनन्दन! दूसरे बहुत-से मनुष्य अन्यान्य लोगोंको दौड़ते देख एक-दूसरेसे अपने प्रसिद्ध नाम और गोत्र बताने लगते थे
dhāvamānān parāṁś cānyān dṛṣṭavān ye tatra bhārata | gotranāmāni khyātāni śaśaṁsur itaretaram, bharatanandana |
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, seeing many others running here and there, some men began calling out to one another, proclaiming their well-known names and clan-lineages (gotra)—seeking recognition amid the panic and confusion of the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, when order collapses in war, people cling to social identifiers—name and lineage—to secure recognition and safety. It implicitly contrasts the fragility of worldly status with the ethical cost of conflict, where even basic human coordination depends on remembered identity.
Sañjaya describes a scene of turmoil: many people are running about, and others, seeing this, call out mutually, announcing their famous names and gotras—likely to identify allies, avoid being mistaken for enemies, or regroup amid the confusion.