Shloka 9
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
ततोडअर्जुनो हयान् हत्वा सर्वास्तस्य महात्मन: । चकार समरे भूमिं शोणितौघतरज्ञषिणीम्
tato 'rjuno hayān hatvā sarvāṁs tasya mahātmanaḥ | cakāra samare bhūmiṁ śoṇitaughatararṣiṇīm ||
Sañjaya said: Then Arjuna, having slain all the horses of that great warrior, turned the battlefield ground into a torrent-swept expanse of blood. The narration underscores the grim ethical weight of war: even when fought as a duty, its immediate fruit is devastation, and prowess is measured in terrible, irreversible costs.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of righteous warfare: even when undertaken as kṣatriya-duty, victory manifests through destruction. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic human cost embedded in dharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna strikes down all the horses of a great warrior’s chariot, disabling his mobility. The slaughter is so intense that the battlefield is described as flowing with a torrent of blood.