Shloka 22
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
साश्चपत्तिद्विपरथं महाशस्त्रौ्सम्प्लवम् | सहसा संतितीर्षन्तं पार्थ शस्त्रास्त्रसेतुना
sāśvapattidviparathaṁ mahāśastraughasamplavam | sahasā santitīrṣantaṁ pārtha śastrāstrasētunā ||
Sañjaya dit : Arjuna (Pārtha), voyant cette armée immense—pleine de chevaux, de fantassins, d’éléphants et de chars, enflée comme une crue par le flot des grandes armes—voulut franchir d’un coup cet « océan de soldats » au moyen d’un pont fait de ses propres traits et armes. Alors Śrī Kṛṣṇa lui dit : « Ô Pārtha sans faute, pourquoi t’amuses-tu ainsi ? Écrase d’abord ces Saṁśaptakas, puis hâte-toi, avec ferme résolution, de tendre à la chute de Karṇa. »
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in heroic action, one should not be driven by showmanship or impulsive ‘play’; Kṛṣṇa’s counsel redirects Arjuna toward disciplined duty—remove immediate obstacles (the Saṁśaptakas) and pursue the decisive objective (Karṇa’s defeat) with urgency and moral seriousness.
Arjuna intends to break through a dense, weapon-filled enemy formation—likened to an ocean—by forging a path with his own weapons, as if building a bridge. Kṛṣṇa intervenes verbally, pressing him to stop treating the engagement lightly, first destroy the Saṁśaptakas who block him, and then move swiftly toward confronting and killing Karṇa.