Shloka 24
तमर्जुन: पृषत्कानां शतै: षड़भिरताडयत् । अत्यर्थमिव संक्रुद्धः प्रतिविद्धे जनार्दने,श्रीकृष्णके घायल हो जानेपर अर्जुन अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे। उन्होंने छः सौ बाणोंद्वारा अश्वत्थामाको क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया
tam arjunaḥ pṛṣatkānāṁ śataiḥ ṣaḍbhir atāḍayat | atyartham iva saṁkruddhaḥ pratividdhe janārdane ||
Sanjaya said: When Janardana (Krishna) was struck, Arjuna, as though inflamed with extreme wrath, assailed him—Aśvatthāman—beating him with six hundred arrows, tearing and wounding him in retaliation. The verse highlights Arjuna’s fierce protective loyalty to Krishna and the moral intensity that arises when one’s revered charioteer and guide is harmed amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical force of loyalty and protection: when Krishna, Arjuna’s charioteer and revered guide, is harmed, Arjuna’s response becomes uncompromising. It also implicitly warns how quickly righteous purpose in war can be overtaken by intense anger, demanding inner vigilance even in justified combat.
Sanjaya reports that after Krishna (Janardana) is struck, Arjuna becomes fiercely enraged and retaliates by showering the opponent—contextually Aśvatthāman—with six hundred arrows, grievously wounding him.