Shloka 42
कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory
तौ परस्परवेगाच्च शराभ्यां च भूशाहतौ | निपेततुर्महावीर्य रथोपस्थे तयोस्तदा,परस्परके वेगसे छूटे हुए उन बाणोंद्वारा अत्यन्त घायल हो वे महापराक्रमी वीर अपने- अपने रथकी बैठकमें तत्काल गिर पड़े
tau parasparavegāc ca śarābhyāṃ ca bhūśāhatau | nipetatur mahāvīryau rathopasthe tayos tadā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dihentam oleh anak panah yang dilepaskan dengan daya saling berbalas, dan parah terluka, dua wira perkasa itu serta-merta rebah ke tempat duduk kereta perang masing-masing.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh symmetry of warfare: when opponents match each other in speed and aggression, the same exchanged force can fell both. It implicitly cautions that martial prowess does not exempt one from vulnerability, and that violence tends to return in kind.
Sañjaya reports that two mighty warriors, struck by each other’s fast-flying arrows and badly wounded, immediately slump and fall into their respective chariot-seats, momentarily incapacitated amid the ongoing battle.