Shloka 9
तयोरेवं युद्धातोराजिमध्ये सूतात्मजो5भूदधिक: कदाचित् । पार्थ: कदाचित् त्वधिक: किरीटी वीयस्त्रिमायाबलपौरुषेण
tayor evaṁ yuddhator ājimadhye sūtātmajo ’bhūd adhikaḥ kadācit | pārthaḥ kadācit tv adhikaḥ kirīṭī vīryāstramāyābalapauruṣeṇa ||
Sañjaya said: As those two fought in the very midst of the battle-line, at times the charioteer’s son Karṇa gained the upper hand, and at other times Pārtha Arjuna, the diadem-wearer, prevailed—by reason of valor, mastery of weapons, strategic illusion, strength, and sheer human effort.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of advantage in war: superiority alternates based on valor, weapon-skill, strategy, strength, and personal exertion. It suggests that outcomes in conflict are dynamic and contingent, not fixed to one hero at every moment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa and Arjuna are engaged in a direct duel in the thick of battle, and that the upper hand shifts back and forth between them.