Shloka 21
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
प्रगृह्ा च महाशक्ति कालशक्तिमिवापराम् | समुत्क्षिप्प च राधेय: संधाय च महाबल:
pragṛhya ca mahāśaktiṃ kālaśaktim ivāparām | samutkṣipya ca rādhēyaḥ saṃdhāya ca mahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Karṇa, gewaltig an Kraft, ergriff einen großen Śakti-Speer—gleich der unwiderstehlichen Macht der Zeit selbst. Hoch erhoben, richtete er sein Ziel aus und machte sich bereit, ihn zu schleudern, während die Schlacht auf einen entscheidenden, schicksalsschweren Augenblick zudrängte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial action under the shadow of Kāla (Time/Death): even heroic strength and weapon-skill operate within an inexorable moral and existential horizon. It highlights how war compresses choice into moments where intent, consequence, and fate converge.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa taking up a powerful spear, lifting it, and carefully aiming—signaling an imminent, high-stakes throw that could decide the immediate encounter.