Shloka 38
दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः
Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva
स तस्य कवचं भित्त्वा हृदयं चामितौजस: । अभ्यगाद् धरणीं बाणो हंस: पद्मवनं यथा,जैसे हंस कमलवनमें प्रवेश करता है, उसी प्रकार वह बाण अमित तेजस्वी धृष्टकेतुके कवच और वक्ष:स्थलको विदीर्ण करके धरतीमें समा गया
sa tasya kavacaṃ bhittvā hṛdayaṃ cāmitaujasāḥ | abhyagād dharaṇīṃ bāṇo haṃsaḥ padmavanaṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: Piercing his armor and even the heart of that warrior of immeasurable splendor, the arrow sank into the earth—like a swan gliding into a lotus-grove.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark impermanence of bodily protection and life amid righteous warfare: even the strongest armor and the most splendid hero can be felled swiftly. The serene simile (a swan entering a lotus-grove) contrasts with the act of killing, reminding readers how skill and fate can make violence appear effortless—prompting ethical reflection on the cost of war.
Sañjaya describes a decisive shot: an arrow pierces a warrior’s armor and heart and then continues on to sink into the ground. The comparison to a swan entering a lotus-grove emphasizes the arrow’s smooth, unhindered passage after striking its target.