Shloka 25
Arjuna’s Concentrated Archery and the Rout of the Kaurava Mahārathas
Gāṇḍīva-Nirghoṣa Episode
स तु लब्ध्वा पुन: स्थानं गौतम: सव्यसाचिनम् | विव्याध दशभिन्बाणैस्त्वरित: कड्कपत्रिभि:
sa tu labdhvā punaḥ sthānaṃ gautamaḥ savyasācinam | vivyādha daśabhir bāṇais tvaritaḥ kaṅkapatribhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Nhưng Gautama (Kṛpācārya), khi đã giành lại vị trí, liền mau chóng dùng mười mũi tên gắn lông chim diệc đâm xuyên Arjuna, cung thủ thuận cả hai tay.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya discipline and the impersonal rigor of battlefield duty: even venerable elders like Kṛpa act decisively once they regain advantage. It also points to the ethical strain of war, where respect and prior bonds do not prevent necessary action when one is committed to a side’s dharma.
After regaining his battle position, Kṛpācārya (called Gautama) quickly shoots Arjuna (Savyasācin) with ten heron-feathered arrows, wounding him in the ongoing combat episode of the Virāṭa narrative.