Shloka 696
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
शरैर्बहुभिरत्युग्रै: प्रहसन्निव भारत । भारत! उस समय क्रोधमें भरे हुए कर्णने हँसते हुए-से वेगपूर्वक बहुत-से अत्यन्त भयंकर बाण मारकर भीमसेनकी चमकीली ढाल नष्ट कर दी
śarair bahubhir atyugraiḥ prahasann iva bhārata | krodhabhareṇa karṇena vegapūrvakaṃ bahūn atyantabhayānakān bāṇān pramuñcatā bhīmasenasya dīptāṃ cārma-śarmāṃ nāśitām ||
قال سنجيا: يا بهاراتا، عندئذٍ كان كارنا وقد استبدّ به الغضب، كأنه يضحك وهو يطلق مسرعًا سهامًا كثيرة بالغة الشدة والرعب، فحطّم ترس بهيماسينا اللامع.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) can sharpen aggression and spectacle in war—Karṇa ‘seeming to laugh’ while unleashing dreadful arrows. Ethically, it invites reflection on the tension between kṣatriya-duty (fighting skillfully) and the inner discipline needed to prevent anger from becoming the true driver of action.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, enraged, rapidly fires many fierce arrows and breaks Bhīmasena’s shining shield, marking a moment of escalation in their battlefield exchange.