Shloka 28
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
स विद्ध्वा मर्मसु द्रौर्णि पाण्डव: परवीरहा । सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत्
sa viddhvā marmasu drauṇi pāṇḍavaḥ paravīrahā | sārathiṁ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Arjuna, el Pāṇḍava—verdugo de los campeones enemigos—hirió a Aśvatthāmā, hijo de Droṇa, en sus puntos vitales. Luego, con una flecha aguda, derribó al auriga de Aśvatthāmā desde el asiento del carro.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim reality of kṣatriya warfare: mastery involves precise, decisive action against an opponent’s vulnerabilities. Ethically, it points to the tension between duty in battle and the heavy consequences of violence, a recurring Mahābhārata theme.
Arjuna attacks Aśvatthāmā effectively, striking his vital points, and then shoots down Aśvatthāmā’s charioteer with a bhalla-arrow, causing him to fall from the chariot-seat—an act that can destabilize an enemy’s combat capacity.