Shloka 22
कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory
ईषतुर्विरथं चैव कर्तुमन्योन्यमाहवे । ततो द्रौणिर्महास्त्राणि प्रादुश्चक्रे महारथ:
īṣatur virathaṃ caiva kartum anyonyam āhave | tato drauṇir mahāstrāṇi prāduścakre mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, each sought to render the other chariotless. Then Droṇa’s son, that great chariot-warrior, brought forth mighty celestial weapons—escalating the contest from mere martial skill to the perilous use of extraordinary force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how rivalry in war can quickly escalate: the aim shifts from tactical advantage (making the opponent chariotless) to unleashing extraordinary weapons. Implicitly, it raises the ethical tension in kṣatriya warfare—power must be governed by restraint, because greater force multiplies danger and suffering.
Two opposing warriors strive to disable one another by making the other ‘viratha’ (without a chariot). At that point Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi), described as a mahāratha, brings powerful astras into play, intensifying the battle.