Shloka 18
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
सो35तिविद्धो रणे तेन द्रोणपुत्रेण भारत
so 'tividdho raṇe tena droṇaputreṇa bhārata | bhārata! raṇabhūmau droṇaputreṇa atyantaṁ ghāyitaḥ udārabuddhiḥ gāṇḍīvadhārī arjunaḥ samarāṅgaṇe balapūrvakaṁ bāṇavarṣaṁ kṛtvā aśvatthāmānaṁ ācchādayām āsa, tasya dhanuś ca ciccheda ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Bhārata, meski tertusuk parah di medan laga oleh putra Droṇa, Arjuna yang berhati luhur, pemegang Gāṇḍīva, dengan paksa menumpahkan hujan panah di gelanggang perang hingga Aśvatthāmā tertutup dari pandangan, bahkan busurnya pun ia putuskan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya conduct under extreme pressure: even when badly wounded, one must remain steady, respond with disciplined force, and neutralize danger by disarming the adversary—an ethic of duty and tactical restraint within the brutality of war.
Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) has severely wounded Arjuna. Arjuna counters by unleashing a dense volley of arrows that overwhelms and obscures Aśvatthāmā, and then Arjuna cuts Aśvatthāmā’s bow, depriving him of his primary weapon.