Shloka 29
युधिष्ठिरश्चापि स त॑ स्वर्णपुड्खै: शितै: शरै: । प्रहसन्निव तं कर्ण: कड़कपत्रै: शिलाशितै:
yudhiṣṭhiraś cāpi sa taṁ svarṇapuḍkhaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | prahasan niva taṁ karṇaḥ kaḍakapatraiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ||
قال سنجيا: إنَّ يودهيشتيرا بدوره أصابه بسهامٍ حادّةٍ ذات ريشٍ ذهبي. فأجاب كارنا، كأنه يضحك، بسهامٍ أجنحتها من معدنٍ صلب ورؤوسها مسنونة كالحجر—قوةٌ تُقابل قوةً وفق أخلاق القتال القاسية.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya code in war: steadfastness under attack and answering with skill and courage. Karṇa’s ‘as if laughing’ demeanor signals fearlessness and composure, while the exchange of finely crafted arrows underscores disciplined martial duty rather than personal cruelty.
In the Karṇa Parva battle scene narrated by Sañjaya, Yudhiṣṭhira shoots Karṇa with sharp, gold-fletched arrows. Karṇa responds immediately, seemingly unshaken, with rigid-winged, stone-whetted arrows—an intense back-and-forth in their combat.