Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 30
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
कुरुसेनाशरीराणि पार्थेनैवाहतान्यपि । सेदु: पार्थहतानीव पार्थकर्मानुशासनात्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
kurusenāśarīrāṇi pārthenaivāhatāny api |
seduḥ pārthahatānīva pārthakarmānuśāsanāt ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Selbst die Leiber der Kuru-Krieger, obgleich sie nur von Pārtha (Arjuna) getroffen wurden, waren zerfetzt und zermalmt. Sie lagen da, als wären sie von Pārthas Pfeilen erschlagen; so zwingend war die Gewalt und so vollkommen die Meisterschaft von Pārthas Handeln im Kampf, dass nur Pārtha selbst als Vergleich taugt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how disciplined mastery of action (karma) in one’s rightful role—here, a kṣatriya’s battlefield duty—can be so effective that its results appear decisive even without explicit mention of killing; excellence in action carries ethical weight when aligned with one’s responsibility.
In the Virāṭa episode’s battle scene, the narrator describes Kaurava soldiers struck by Arjuna’s arrows: their bodies are so shattered that they lie as though already dead, highlighting Arjuna’s extraordinary prowess.