Shloka 9
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
ततोडअर्जुनो हयान् हत्वा सर्वास्तस्य महात्मन: । चकार समरे भूमिं शोणितौघतरज्ञषिणीम्
tato 'rjuno hayān hatvā sarvāṁs tasya mahātmanaḥ | cakāra samare bhūmiṁ śoṇitaughatararṣiṇīm ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces Arjuna, tras dar muerte a todos los caballos de aquel gran guerrero, convirtió el suelo del campo de batalla en una extensión barrida por un torrente de sangre. El relato subraya el sombrío peso ético de la guerra: aun librada como deber, su fruto inmediato es la devastación, y la destreza se mide en costos terribles e irreversibles.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of righteous warfare: even when undertaken as kṣatriya-duty, victory manifests through destruction. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic human cost embedded in dharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna strikes down all the horses of a great warrior’s chariot, disabling his mobility. The slaughter is so intense that the battlefield is described as flowing with a torrent of blood.