Shloka 16
Bhīṣma–Arjuna Strategic Engagement at Virāṭa’s Frontier (भीष्मार्जुनयुद्धम्)
ततः कर्णो महाचापं विकृष्याभ्यधिकं तदा । अवाक्षिपत् ततः शब्दो हाहाकारो महानभूत्,तब कर्णने अपने महान् धनुषको बड़े जोरसे खींचकर टंकार की। उससे वहाँ महान् हाहाकारका शब्द होने लगा
tataḥ karṇo mahācāpaṃ vikṛṣyābhyadhikaṃ tadā | avākṣipat tataḥ śabdo hāhākāro mahān abhūt ||
Da spannte Karṇa seinen mächtigen Bogen mit außergewöhnlicher Kraft und ließ ihn dröhnend schnappen; da erhob sich dort ein großer Tumult, Geschrei und Aufruhr.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a warrior’s show of strength—here, the loud twang of a drawn bow—can shape the moral atmosphere of a scene: it can intimidate, rally, or provoke, thereby escalating tensions even before direct combat. It implicitly cautions that power displayed without restraint can trigger fear and disorder.
Karṇa draws his powerful bow with great force and releases it to produce a sharp, commanding sound. That sound causes a widespread uproar—people cry out and commotion spreads—signaling heightened alarm and the intensification of the confrontation.