Shloka 57
गृह्नात्यनेकानपि कड्कपत्रा- नेक॑ यथा तान् प्रतियोज्य चाशु । ते क्रोशमात्रे निपतन्त्यमोघा: कस्तेन योधो5स्ति सम: पृथिव्याम्
gṛhṇāty anekān api kaṅkapatrān anekān yathā tān pratiyojya cāśu | te krośamātre nipatanty amoghāḥ kastena yodho 'sti samaḥ pṛthivyām ||
Karna sprach: „Er nimmt viele Pfeile, selbst solche mit Reiherfedern, als wären sie ein einziger Schaft; und schnell legt er sie auf den Bogen und lässt sie fliegen. Diese unfehlbaren Pfeile fallen erst nach der vollen Strecke eines krośa. Wer auf Erden ist ein Krieger, der ihm gleichkommt?“
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that true martial excellence is marked by disciplined mastery—speed, coordination, and accuracy—so that one’s effort becomes ‘amogha’ (unfailing). In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, such prowess commands respect and sets a standard by which warriors measure honor and worth.
Karna, speaking in the midst of the war narrative, praises a warrior’s extraordinary archery: he can hold many arrows as if one, rapidly set them on the bow, and shoot them so powerfully and accurately that they travel a krośa before falling—leading Karna to ask who could be his equal on earth.