Shloka 416
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
केतुमेकेन चिच्छेद पाण्डवं चार्दयत् त्रिभि: । फिर एक भल्ल चलाकर उनका धनुष काट दिया। एक भल््लसे इन्द्रध्वजके समान उनकी ध्वजा खण्डित कर दी और तीन बाणोंसे पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरको भी पीड़ा पहुँचायी
ketum ekena ciccheda pāṇḍavaṃ cārdhayat tribhiḥ |
Sañjaya said: With a single arrow he severed the banner, and with three more he struck the Pāṇḍava, Yudhiṣṭhira, causing him pain. Then with another shaft he cut his bow, and with yet another he shattered his standard, like Indra’s banner.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare targets both the body and symbols of honor (banner, bow) to break morale; ethically, it underscores the tension in the Mahābhārata between pursuing dharma and enduring the brutal means of a righteous war.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior strikes the Pāṇḍava side: he cuts down the banner with one arrow and then wounds the Pāṇḍava (understood as Yudhiṣṭhira) with three arrows, causing him pain and attempting to destabilize him in battle.