Shloka 37
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
दुःशासन द्वादशभि: कृपं शारद्वतं त्रिभि: । भीष्म शान्तनवं षष्ट्या राजानं च शतेन ह । कर्ण च कर्णिना कर्णे विव्याध परवीरहा
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
duḥśāsanaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ kṛpaṃ śāradvataṃ tribhiḥ |
bhīṣmaṃ śāntanavaṃ ṣaṣṭyā rājānaṃ ca śatena ha |
karṇaṃ ca karṇinā karṇe vivyādha paravīrahā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Arjuna, der Bezwinger feindlicher Helden, traf Duḥśāsana mit zwölf Pfeilen, Kṛpa Śāradvata mit drei, Bhīṣma, den Sohn Śāntanus, mit sechzig und den König (Duryodhana) mit hundert. Dann durchbohrte er Karṇa am Ohr mit einem Pfeil namens Karṇī und verwundete ihn schwer.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the disciplined, targeted nature of kṣatriya warfare: prowess is shown through precise action against specific opponents. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—duty and victory pursued through violence, with each act carrying moral weight even when performed within the accepted codes of battle.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna’s rapid volley of arrows: he wounds Duḥśāsana, Kṛpa, Bhīṣma, and Duryodhana with specified counts, then pierces Karṇa in the ear using an arrow named Karṇī, marking a dramatic moment of battlefield dominance.