अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
कि करिष्यति गाण्डीवमक्षय्यौ च महेषुधी । स्निग्धचन्दनदिग्धस्य मच्छरस्याभिधावत:
ki kariyati g1vam akayyau ca maheudh2 | snigdhacandanadigdhasya maccharasy0bhidh0vata ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Apakah yang mampu dilakukan oleh busur Gāṇḍīva dan dua tabung anak panah besar yang tidak pernah habis itu, apabila musuhku mara ke hadapan—tubuhnya disapu pes cendana yang halus?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even the greatest external resourceslegendary weapons, reputation, and preparednesscan seem powerless when the mind is shaken by the sight of a confident opponent. The verse underscores the ethical and psychological dimension of dharma-yuddha: victory depends not only on arms but also on steadiness, discernment, and freedom from delusion born of fear or pride.
In the Kara Parva battle setting, the narrator frames a moment of tense appraisal: the speaker questions what Arjunas famed G012va and his inexhaustible quivers can achieve as an enemy charges forward, anointed with sandal-pastea conventional sign of martial readiness and self-assuredness.