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 ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces Arjuna, el de la diadema, matador de héroes enemigos, el más excelso de los hombres, al ver a los guerreros yaciendo muertos, y al contemplar a Nakula, hijo de Mādrī, caído en medio del ejército, y también a Kṛṣṇa gravemente herido, quedó sobrecogido por la angustia y el temor en medio de la ruina de la guerra.
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.