Shloka 8
कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall
Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra
नैवाददानं न च संदधानं जानीमहे कतरेणास्यतीति । वामेन वा यदि वा दक्षिणेन स द्रोणपुत्र: समरे पर्यवर्तत्
naivādādānaṁ na ca sandadhānaṁ jānīmahe katarēṇāsyatīti | vāmena vā yadi vā dakṣiṇena sa droṇaputraḥ samare paryavartat ||
Arjuna said: “We could not even discern when he was taking up an arrow, when he was setting it to the bowstring, or from which side he was releasing it—left or right. Thus Droṇa’s son, Aśvatthāmā, kept wheeling about on the battlefield, his swift, relentless archery confounding our perception amid the chaos of war.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial skill can overwhelm ordinary perception in war, reminding the listener that battlefield outcomes are shaped not only by strength but by speed, technique, and the fog of combat—factors that complicate clear judgment and ethical decision-making in the moment.
Arjuna describes Aśvatthāmā’s rapid movements and shooting: he circles the battlefield so swiftly that Arjuna’s side cannot tell when he takes an arrow, sets it to the bow, or whether he releases it from the left or right—emphasizing Aśvatthāmā’s formidable presence in the fight.