Shloka 24
धनंजय-दुर्योधन-संग्रामः
Arjuna–Duryodhana Engagement and Admonition
ततोअस्याश्वाञ्छरैस्ती&णैर्बी भत्सुर्भारसा धनै: । आकर्णममुक्तैरवधीत् ते हता: प्रापतन् भुवि,तत्पश्चात् बीभत्सुने भार (शत्रुओंके आघात) सहनेमें समर्थ तीखे बाणोंद्वारा, जो धनुषको कानतक खींचकर छोड़े गये थे, कर्णके घोड़ोंको घायल कर दिया। वे घोड़े मरकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
tato ’syāśvān śarais tīkṣṇair bībhatsur bhārasā dhanaiḥ | ākarṇamuktair avadhīt te hatāḥ prāpatan bhuvi ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Da spannte Bībhatsu (Arjuna) den Bogen bis ans Ohr und ließ scharfe, schwere Schäfte fliegen; so streckte er Karṇas Pferde nieder. Erschlagen fielen sie zur Erde.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the decisive power of disciplined skill and resolve in warfare, while implicitly pointing to the moral cost of battle: even when framed as kṣatriya-duty, violence results in the destruction of life and sudden reversals of fortune.
Arjuna (called Bībhatsu) shoots sharp, heavy arrows at full draw and kills Karṇa’s horses; the horses collapse dead to the ground, weakening Karṇa’s chariot-mobility and shifting the tactical situation.