Shloka 2
कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall
Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra
अजुन उवाच संशप्तकैर्युध्यमानस्य मेडद्य सेनाग्रयायी कुरुसैन्येषु राजन । आशीविषाभान् खगमान् प्रमुज्चन् द्रौणि: पुरस्तात् सहसाभ्यतिष्ठत्,राजन! आज जब मैं संशप्तकोंके साथ युद्ध कर रहा था, उस समय कौरव-सेनाका अगुआ द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामा विषधर सर्पके समान भयंकर बाणोंका प्रहार करता हुआ सहसा मेरे सामने आकर खड़ा हो गया
arjuna uvāca saṁśaptakair yudhyamānasya me dadyau senāgrayāyī kuru-sainyeṣu rājan | āśīviṣābhān khagamān pramuñcan drauṇiḥ purastāt sahasābhyatiṣṭhat ||
阿周那说道：“大王啊，当我与三誓军（Saṁśaptaka）鏖战之时，俱卢大军的前锋统帅——德罗纳之子阿湿婆他曼（Aśvatthāman）忽然立于我前。他放出可怖之箭，宛如毒蛇吐信，直面与我相抗。”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness in one’s duty under sudden escalation: even amid chaotic warfare and vowed enemies, a warrior must keep composure and discernment when confronted by a formidable opponent, acting according to kṣatriya-dharma rather than panic or hatred.
Arjuna reports to the King that while he was fighting the Saṁśaptakas, Aśvatthāman—leading the Kuru vanguard—suddenly appeared before him and attacked fiercely, shooting terrifying arrows compared to venomous serpents.