Shloka 30
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
इत्युक्तो वासुदेवेन तथेत्युक्त्वा द्विजोत्तम: । विव्याध केशवं षष्ट्या नाराचैररजुनं त्रिभि:
ity ukto vāsudevena tathety uktvā dvijottamaḥ | vivyādha keśavaṃ ṣaṣṭyā nārācair arjunaṃ tribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ainsi apostrophé par Vāsudeva (Krishna), le meilleur des deux-fois-nés répondit : «Qu’il en soit ainsi», puis il frappa Keśava de soixante flèches nārāca et Arjuna de trois, les blessant dans la fureur du combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of warfare: once a challenge is accepted (“so be it”), action follows swiftly, and even the most revered figures (Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna) are subjected to harm. It invites reflection on restraint, intention, and the burdens of kṣatriya-duty amid escalating violence.
Sañjaya reports that, after being addressed by Vāsudeva, the opposing warrior assents and immediately shoots: Keśava is struck with sixty nārāca arrows and Arjuna with three, indicating a sudden intensification of the exchange on the battlefield.