Shloka 9
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
अस्त्रयोगश्न युद्धे च निमित्तानि तथैव च । सर्वमेतन्मया ज्ञेयं रथस्यास्य कुटुम्बिना
astrayogaś ca yuddhe ca nimittāni tathaiva ca | sarvam etan mayā jñeyaṃ rathasyāsya kuṭumbinā ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അസ്ത്രങ്ങളുടെ യഥോചിത പ്രയോഗവും അതോടനുബന്ധിച്ച നിമിത്തങ്ങൾ (ശകുനങ്ങൾ)യും—ഇവയെല്ലാം ഞാൻ അറിയേണ്ടതാണ്; കാരണം ഞാൻ ഈ രഥത്തിന്റെ കുടുംബി (അന്തരംഗ സേവകൻ) ആകുന്നു।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that warfare is not only about physical prowess (astrayoga, the disciplined use of weapons) but also about attentiveness to nimittas—signs and omens believed to reveal moral and karmic currents shaping outcomes. It frames knowledge and alertness as a duty of one closely connected to the chariot and the warrior’s conduct in battle.
Sañjaya, the narrator, states that he must be able to recognize and understand both battlefield tactics and the omens occurring around the chariot/warrior, because he is an insider—an attendant connected with the chariot establishment—positioned to observe and interpret what unfolds.