अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
कि करिष्यति गाण्डीवमक्षय्यौ च महेषुधी । स्निग्धचन्दनदिग्धस्य मच्छरस्याभिधावत:
ki kariyati g1vam akayyau ca maheudh2 | snigdhacandanadigdhasya maccharasy0bhidh0vata ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Ano ang magagawa ng busog na Gāṇḍīva at ng dalawang dakilang lalagyan ng palaso na di nauubos, kung ang aking kaaway ay sumasalakay pasulong—ang katawan ay pinahiran ng makinis na paste ng sandalwood?”
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.