Shloka 12
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
सुवर्णपुड्खै्नाराचै: परकायविदारणै: । चेदिकानवधीद् वीर: शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,वीर कर्णने शत्रुओंके शरीरको विदीर्ण कर देनेवाले सुवर्णमय पंखयुक्त नाराचोंद्वारा सैकड़ों और हजारों चेदिदेशीय वीरोंका वध कर डाला
sañjaya uvāca | suvarṇapuḍkhair nārācaiḥ parakāyavidāraṇaiḥ | cedikān avadhīd vīraḥ śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Mit nārāca-Pfeilen, golden befiedert und den Leib der Feinde zerreißend, erschlug der Held Karṇa die Krieger der Cedi zu Hunderten, ja zu Tausenden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying efficiency of martial skill in war and invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma: even when fighting is duty, the mass killing it entails remains morally weighty and tragic.
Sanjaya reports that Karṇa, using golden-fletched nārāca arrows that pierce and tear bodies, cuts down large numbers of Cedi fighters—hundreds and thousands—showing the battle’s escalating ferocity.