Shloka 9
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
ततोडअर्जुनो हयान् हत्वा सर्वास्तस्य महात्मन: । चकार समरे भूमिं शोणितौघतरज्ञषिणीम्
tato 'rjuno hayān hatvā sarvāṁs tasya mahātmanaḥ | cakāra samare bhūmiṁ śoṇitaughatararṣiṇīm ||
サञ्जयは言った。ついでアルジュナは、その大勇士の馬をことごとく討ち、戦場の地を血の奔流に洗われる広がりへと変えた。ここには戦の倫理が負う陰鬱な重みが示される――義務として戦うにせよ、目前の実りは破滅であり、武の冴えは恐るべき、取り返しのつかぬ代価によって量られるのだ。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of righteous warfare: even when undertaken as kṣatriya-duty, victory manifests through destruction. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic human cost embedded in dharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna strikes down all the horses of a great warrior’s chariot, disabling his mobility. The slaughter is so intense that the battlefield is described as flowing with a torrent of blood.