Shloka 21
कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory
शरै: पूर्णायतोत्सूष्टैरन्योन्यमभिजषध्नतु: । अन्योन्यस्य वधे चैव चक्रतुर्यत्नमुत्तमम्,वे कानतक खींचकर छोड़े हुए बाणोंसे परस्पर चोट पहुँचाने और एक-दूसरेके वधके लिये भारी यत्न करने लगे
śaraiḥ pūrṇāyatotsṛṣṭair anyonyam abhijaghnatuḥ | anyonyasya vadhe caiva cakratur yatnam uttamam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan anak panah yang ditarik sepenuh regangan lalu dilepaskan dengan daya yang dahsyat, kedua-duanya saling menghentam berulang kali, masing-masing mengerahkan segala upaya untuk menumpaskan nyawa lawannya—pertukaran yang sengit, menyingkap tekad perang yang kelam serta ketegangan antara dharma kesatria dan dorongan untuk memusnahkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extremity of martial resolve in battle: when warriors commit to mutual destruction, the scene underscores the ethical strain of war—where duty and prowess operate alongside the tragic momentum of violence.
Sañjaya describes two opposing warriors engaged in a fierce exchange, drawing their bows to the full and releasing arrows to wound one another, each striving with maximum effort to kill the other.