Shloka 22
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
अपरे कृष्यमाणाश्रन विचेष्टन्तो महीतले । भावान् बहुविधांश्वक्रुस्ताडिता: शरतोमरै:
apare kṛṣyamāṇāś ca viceṣṭanto mahītale | bhāvān bahuvidhāṁś cakrus tāḍitāḥ śaratomaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kuda-kuda lain, dipukul anak panah dan lembing, terseret-seret dan menggeliat di tanah, memperlihatkan beragam tanda derita dan kegelisahan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collateral suffering produced by warfare: even animals are dragged into pain and terror. Ethically, it invites reflection on the far-reaching harm of violence and the responsibility borne by those who choose battle.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where horses, struck by arrows and javelins, fall and writhe on the ground; some are dragged along, struggling and showing varied signs of distress amid the chaos of combat.