Shloka 5236
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
छादयामास पार्थोडथ कर्णस्तु विजयं शरै: । वेगसे आते हुए वैकर्तन कर्णको अर्जुनने अपने सीधे जानेवाले बाणोंसे आच्छादित कर दिया और कर्णने भी अर्जुनको अपने बाणोंसे ढक दिया
sañjaya uvāca | chādayāmāsa pārtho 'tha karṇas tu vijayaṃ śaraiḥ |
قال سانجيا: ثم إن بارثا (أرجونا) أمطر كارنا بسيلٍ من السهام المستقيمة الطيران وهو يندفع مسرعاً؛ وكارنا بدوره غطّى أرجونا بسهامه.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a brutal duel, the epic frames action within role-based duty: warriors respond with disciplined skill and resolve. The verse highlights steadiness and reciprocity—each meets the other’s assault without collapse—illustrating the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between personal enmity and the impersonal demands of kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya describes a rapid exchange of missile-fire: Arjuna showers Karṇa with straight-flying arrows as Karṇa advances swiftly; Karṇa immediately retaliates by covering Arjuna with his own arrows, intensifying their climactic confrontation in the Droṇa Parva.