Shloka 84
स रोषपूर्णो मणिवज्रहाटकै- रलड्कृतं तक्षकभोगवर्चसम् | महाधन कार्मुकमन्यदाददे यथा महाहिप्रवरं गिरेस्तटात्
sa roṣapūrṇo maṇivajrahāṭakaiḥ alaṅkṛtaṃ takṣakabhogavarcasaṃ | mahādhanaṃ kārmukam anyad ādade yathā mahāhipravaraṃ gires taṭāt |
Von Zorn erfüllt ergriff Karṇa einen weiteren, überaus kostbaren Bogen, geschmückt mit Edelsteinen, Diamanten und Gold, der rötlich glühte wie die Windungen Takṣakas. Es war, als hätte er vom Felsvorsprung eines Berges eine gewaltige, vornehmste Schlange emporgehoben—ein Bild, das den wilden Schwung der Szene steigert und die gefährliche, ethisch aufgeladene Zuspitzung des Kampfes schärft.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how anger intensifies violence: wrath drives the warrior to escalate by taking up an even more formidable weapon. The serpent simile warns that such power, once lifted and unleashed, becomes perilous and difficult to restrain—an ethical reminder about the destructive momentum of rage in war.
In the midst of battle, Karṇa—enraged—grabs a second, extremely valuable bow, richly ornamented and glowing red like Takṣaka’s coils. The poet likens the act to lifting a huge serpent from a mountain ledge, emphasizing both the weapon’s deadly potency and the heightened danger of the moment.