Shloka 263
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
अवज्ञापूर्वकं शूर: सौभद्रस्य रणाजिरे । शूरवीर कर्णने समरांगणमें सुभद्राकुमारके सेवकोंको भी तीखे एवं उत्तम बाणोंद्वारा अवहेलनापूर्वक बींध डाला
avajñāpūrvakaṃ śūraḥ saubhadrasya raṇājire | śūravīraḥ karṇaḥ samara-aṅgaṇe subhadrākumārasya sevakān api tīkṣṇaiḥ uttamaiḥ bāṇaiḥ avajñayā viddhvā nyapātayat |
قال سانجيا: «وفي غمار المعركة، أقدم كارنا الشجاع باحتقار، فطعن حتى خَدَمَ ساوبهادرا (أبهيمانيو) وأتباعه—ابن سوبهادرا—بسهامٍ حادّةٍ ممتازة، وأسقطهم كأنهم دون أن يُلتفت إليهم.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how avajñā (contempt) can distort warrior conduct: martial excellence becomes ethically compromised when directed with disdain toward weaker or subordinate fighters. It invites reflection on restraint and dignity even amid kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, on the battlefield, not only confronts Abhimanyu’s side but also pierces and fells Abhimanyu’s attendants/retainers with sharp, superior arrows, doing so in a manner marked by contempt.