Shloka 75
न संदधानो न तथा शरोत्तमान् प्रमुडचमानो रिपुभि: प्रदृश्यते । धनंजयास्तैस्तु शरैरविंदारिता हता निपेतुर्नरवाजिकुञ्जरा:
na sandadhāno na tathā śarottamān pramuñcamāno ripubhiḥ pradṛśyate | dhanañjayās tais tu śarair avindāritā hatā nipetur nara-vāji-kuñjarāḥ ||
Karna sagte: „Die Feinde konnten ihn weder erkennen, wenn er die feinsten Pfeile anlegte, noch wenn er sie löste. Und doch stürzten, von Dhanañjayas Geschossen aufgerissen, Männer, Pferde und Elefanten, erschlagen und des Lebens beraubt, in Haufen zu Boden. So wird in der moralischen Wirrnis der Schlacht Arjunas Meisterschaft zu einer überwältigenden Macht: schnell, in ihrer Mechanik unsichtbar, doch in ihren Folgen unverkennbar.“
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined skill and speed in action can be imperceptible in its process yet undeniable in its results. Ethically, it underscores the grim reality of dharma-yuddha: even rightful warfare entails irreversible suffering, and mastery in combat magnifies both responsibility and consequence.
Karna describes Arjuna’s extraordinary archery on the battlefield. Enemies cannot even see the moment Arjuna nocks or releases his arrows, but the effect is immediate: warriors, horses, and elephants, pierced by his shafts, fall dead in rapid succession.