Shloka 24
तत: किरीटी परवीरघाती हताश्चमालोक्य नरप्रवीर: । माद्रीसुतं नकुलं लोकमध्ये समीक्ष्य कृष्णं भृशविक्षतं च
tataḥ kirīṭī paravīraghātī hatāṃś ca mālokya narapravīraḥ | mādrīsutaṃ nakulaṃ lokamadhye samīkṣya kṛṣṇaṃ bhṛśavikṣataṃ ca ||
Sañjaya said: Then Arjuna, the diademed slayer of enemy heroes, that foremost of men, seeing the warriors lying slain, and beholding Nakula—the son of Mādrī—fallen in the midst of the host, and also seeing Kṛṣṇa grievously wounded, was struck with anguish and alarm amid the ruin of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of warfare: even the greatest hero, trained for battle, is shaken when confronted with the human cost—fallen comrades and a wounded ally. It underscores that dharma in war is not mere victory, but the capacity to remain ethically awake to suffering and responsibility.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna surveying the battlefield. He sees many slain, notices Nakula (Mādrī’s son) down in the middle of the host, and also sees Kṛṣṇa badly wounded. This sight intensifies the sense of crisis and grief in the ongoing combat of the Karṇa Parva.