Shloka 22
अर्जुनकर्णयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Arjuna–Karṇa Engagement and Counsel to Duryodhana
। : ; ' महासतत्त्वौ हि तौ दृष्टवा सहितौ केशवार्जुनौ । हतमाधिरथिं मेने संख्ये गाण्डीवधन्चना,एक साथ आये हुए महान् शक्तिशाली श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनको देखकर उन्हें यह पक्का विश्वास हो गया था कि गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनने युद्धस्थलमें अधिरथपुत्र कर्णको मार डाला है
mahāsattvau hi tau dṛṣṭvā sahitau keśavārjunau | hatam ādhirathiṁ mene saṅkhye gāṇḍīvadhanva ca ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna—those two of mighty prowess—arrive together, he became convinced that, in the press of battle, Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow, had slain Karṇa, the son of Adhiratha.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how decisive moral-strategic power is perceived when right counsel and disciplined prowess unite: Kṛṣṇa’s guiding presence with Arjuna signals an almost inevitable outcome, shaping confidence, fear, and judgment amid war.
Sañjaya reports that on seeing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna together, an observer concludes that Arjuna has killed Karṇa in the battle—an inference drawn from their united return and their known might.