Shloka 27
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
तदनन्तर अभश्व॒त्थामाने अपने बाणोंद्वारा अर्जुनकी उस बाण-वर्षाका निवारण करके अपना नाम प्रकाशित करते हुए सहसा सौ बाणोंसे श्रीकृष्णको घायल कर दिया और अर्जुनपर भी तीन सौ बाणोंका प्रहार किया ।।
tad anantaraṁ hy aśvatthāmā nija-bāṇair arjunasya tāṁ bāṇa-vṛṣṭiṁ nivārya nāma prakāśayan sahasā śata-bāṇaiḥ śrī-kṛṣṇaṁ vyathayām āsa, arjune ca trīṇi śatāni bāṇān prāhiṇot. tato ’rjunaḥ sāyakānāṁ śatena guroḥ sutaṁ marmasu nirbibheda; aśvān sūtaṁ ca tathā dhanuḥ-jyām avākirat paśyatāṁ tāvakānām.
Sesudah itu Aśvatthāman menahan hujan panah Arjuna dengan panahnya sendiri; sambil menampakkan namanya, ia mendadak melukai Śrī Kṛṣṇa dengan seratus anak panah dan menghujani Arjuna dengan tiga ratus panah kecil. Lalu Arjuna, dengan seratus anak panah tajam, menembus putra sang Guru pada titik-titik vitalnya; dan di hadapan pasukanmu, ia menutupi kuda-kuda, kusir, busur, serta tali busur Aśvatthāman dengan rentetan panah yang rapat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid total war, the verse contrasts motives and methods: Aśvatthāmā fights to ‘make his name known’ (nāma prakāśayan), while Arjuna’s response is precise and tactical—striking vital points and disabling the chariot’s instruments (horses, charioteer, bow, bowstring). It highlights how intention (fame-seeking vs. duty-bound effectiveness) and disciplined skill shape the ethical texture of action.
Aśvatthāmā counters Arjuna’s arrow-shower, then suddenly wounds Kṛṣṇa with a hundred arrows and strikes Arjuna with three hundred. Arjuna retaliates by piercing Aśvatthāmā in vital spots and then overwhelms his chariot-team and equipment—horses, charioteer, bow, and bowstring—before the Kaurava forces watching.