Shloka 20
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
स छिन्नथन्वा परिघं वज्रस्पर्शसमं युधि । आदाय चिक्षेप तदा द्रोणपुत्र: किरीटिने
sa chinnathanvā parighaṃ vajrasparśasamaṃ yudhi | ādāya cikṣepa tadā droṇaputraḥ kirīṭine ||
Sañjaya disse: Tendo o seu arco sido cortado, o filho de Droṇa apanhou, no meio da batalha, um parigha—uma clava de ferro, dura ao toque como um raio—e de pronto a arremessou contra Arjuna, o de diadema.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the pressure of war, the loss of one’s main support (here, the bow) can provoke a turn to harsher measures; the episode highlights the ethical strain on warriors to maintain discipline and judgment even as violence escalates.
Aśvatthāmā, after his bow is cut, grabs a heavy iron club (parigha), described as thunderbolt-hard, and immediately hurls it at Arjuna, who is identified by his diadem (kirīṭin).