Shloka 23
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
स पाण्डवस्तूर्णमुदीर्णकोप: कृतागसं कर्णमुदीक्ष्य हर्षात् । क्षणेन साक्षं सरथं ससारथि- मन्तर्दधे घोरशरौघवृष्ट्या,अपने अपराधी कर्णको सामने देखकर पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनकी क्रोधाग्नि भड़क उठी। वे तुरंत ही हर्ष एवं उत्साहसे भर गये और भयंकर बाणोंकी वर्षा करके उन्होंने क्षणभरमें घोड़े, रथ और सारथिसहित कर्णको ढँक दिया
sa pāṇḍavas tūrṇam udīrṇakopaḥ kṛtāgasaṃ karṇam udīkṣya harṣāt | kṣaṇena sākṣaṃ sarathaṃ sasārathim antardadhe ghorśaraughavṛṣṭyā ||
নিজৰ প্ৰতি অপৰাধ কৰা কৰ্ণক সন্মুখত দেখি পাণ্ডুনন্দন অৰ্জুনৰ ক্ৰোধ তৎক্ষণাৎ জ্বলি উঠিল। তথাপি উল্লাসে উদ্দীপ্ত হৈ সি ভয়ংকৰ বাণবৃষ্টি বৰ্ষণ কৰিলে আৰু ক্ষণমাত্ৰতে কৰ্ণক অশ্ব, ৰথ আৰু সাৰথিসহ আচ্ছন্ন কৰি পেলালে।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a warrior’s anger is portrayed as morally charged—directed at an offender (kṛtāgasaṃ)—and how martial action is framed as a swift, decisive response to wrongdoing. It also shows the coexistence of kopa (wrath) and harṣa (exhilarated zeal) in the kṣatriya ethos.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, upon seeing Karṇa, becomes intensely angry and immediately releases a terrifying rain of arrows, so dense that Karṇa is covered from view along with his chariot and charioteer (and, by context, his horses as well).