Shloka 4
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
अवच्छन्नौ ततः कृष्णौ दृष्टवा तत्र महारथा: । विस्मयं परम॑ गत्वा प्रैक्षन्त कुरवस्तदा,उस समय उन दोनोंको बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित हुआ देख समस्त कौरव महारथी महान् आश्चर्यमें पड़कर उधर ही देखने लगे
avacchannau tataḥ kṛṣṇau dṛṣṭvā tatra mahārathāḥ | vismayaṃ paramaṃ gatvā praikṣanta kuravas tadā ||
پھر وہاں اُن دونوں ‘کرشنوں’ کو تیروں سے ڈھکا ہوا دیکھ کر کوروؤں کے سب مہارَتھی نہایت حیرت میں پڑ گئے اور اسی سمت ٹکٹکی باندھ کر دیکھتے رہ گئے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward appearances in war—such as even the foremost heroes being ‘covered’ by arrows—can shock observers and sway morale; it implicitly cautions against judging outcomes by a momentary spectacle and shows how perception and psychological impact function alongside physical force.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava elite see Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna (the ‘two Kṛṣṇas’) seemingly overwhelmed by arrow-showers; amazed, they pause and keep looking toward them, reacting to the dramatic turn on the battlefield.