Shloka 8
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
स दिश: प्रदिशश्वैव च्छादयित्वा हाुजिदह्ागै: । वासुदेवं त्रिभिर्बाणैरविध्यद् दक्षिणे भुजे
sa diśaḥ pradiśaś caiva chādayitvā hājidahāgaiḥ | vāsudevaṃ tribhir bāṇair avidhyad dakṣiṇe bhuje ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Cubriendo los cuatro rumbos y las direcciones intermedias con sus flechas veloces y de vuelo recto, hirió a Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) con tres saetas en el brazo derecho—acto que acrecienta la ferocidad del combate y muestra el peligro que acecha incluso al auriga de Arjuna bajo la implacable ética de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and impartial danger of battlefield dharma: even revered figures like Kṛṣṇa, serving as a charioteer, are not exempt from harm. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty, the limits of violence, and the grim moral atmosphere of war where skill and aggression can momentarily eclipse reverence.
In the midst of combat, an unnamed warrior (contextually the opposing archer) releases a volley that seems to fill the sky in all directions, then specifically hits Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) with three arrows on his right arm, escalating the confrontation around Arjuna’s chariot.