Shloka 16
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
निदेशात् सूतपुत्रस्य सरथा: साश्वपत्तय: । आह्वयन्तोअ्र्जुनं तस्थु: केशवं च महाबलम्
sañjaya uvāca |
nideśāt sūtaputrasya sarathāḥ sāśvapattayaḥ |
āhvayanto 'rjunaṃ tasthuḥ keśavaṃ ca mahābalam ||
सूतपुत्र कर्णाच्या आदेशाने रथ, अश्वारूढ व पायदळांसह काम्बोज, शक आणि यवन आपल्या-आपल्या मोर्चावर ठाम उभे राहिले आणि महाबली केशव व अर्जुनाला ललकारू लागले।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, collective action is driven by command and allegiance: troops act under a leader’s order, and their public challenge escalates the conflict. Ethically, it points to the tension between duty-bound obedience and the destructive momentum that such obedience can unleash in a righteous war.
Sañjaya reports that, following Karṇa’s command, allied foreign warrior-groups—Kāmbojas, Śakas, and Yavanas—stand in formation with chariots, cavalry, and infantry, and they challenge Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa on the battlefield.