Shloka 5
तां शक्ति पतितां दृष्टवा कार्ष्णि: परमकोपन: । दुर्योधन त्रिभिर्बाणैर्बाह्वोरुगसि चार्पयत्
sañjaya uvāca | tāṁ śaktiṁ patitāṁ dṛṣṭvā kārṣṇiḥ paramakopanaḥ | duryodhanaṁ tribhir bāṇair bāhvor urasi cārpayat |
Sañjaya said: Seeing that spear-weapon brought down, Kārṣṇi (the son of Kṛṣṇa), inflamed with intense wrath, struck Duryodhana with three arrows—planting them in his arms and in his chest.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield dynamic where restraint is not the absence of force but the disciplined use of it: a warrior responds swiftly to a threat’s neutralization, yet with targeted action (three arrows) rather than uncontrolled slaughter—illustrating kṣatriya conduct shaped by purpose and honor even amid anger.
After a powerful spear-weapon (śakti) is seen to have fallen, Kārṣṇi becomes enraged and retaliates by shooting Duryodhana with three arrows, lodging them in his arms and chest, as Sañjaya reports the unfolding combat.