Shloka 30
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
इत्युक्तो वासुदेवेन तथेत्युक्त्वा द्विजोत्तम: । विव्याध केशवं षष्ट्या नाराचैररजुनं त्रिभि:,भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके ऐसा कहनेपर द्विजश्रेष्ठ अश्वत्थामाने “बहुत अच्छा" कहकर केशवको साठ और अर्जुनको तीन बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
ity ukto vāsudevena tathety uktvā dvijottamaḥ | vivyādha keśavaṃ ṣaṣṭyā nārācair arjunaṃ tribhiḥ ||
इत्युक्तो वासुदेवेन तथेत्युक्त्वा द्विजोत्तमः । विव्याध केशवं षष्ट्या नाराचैरर्जुनं त्रिभिः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of warfare: once a challenge is accepted (“so be it”), action follows swiftly, and even the most revered figures (Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna) are subjected to harm. It invites reflection on restraint, intention, and the burdens of kṣatriya-duty amid escalating violence.
Sañjaya reports that, after being addressed by Vāsudeva, the opposing warrior assents and immediately shoots: Keśava is struck with sixty nārāca arrows and Arjuna with three, indicating a sudden intensification of the exchange on the battlefield.