Shloka 25
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
चिच्छेद चापं कर्णस्य मुष्टिदेशे महारथ: । विव्याध चैनं बहुभि: सायकैर्नतपर्वभि:,तब कर्णने अनेकों बार बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा करके भीमसेनको आच्छादित कर दिया। कर्णके द्वारा बारंबार अच्छादित होते हुए पाण्डुनन्दन महारथी भीमने कर्णके धनुषको मुट्ठी पकड़नेकी जगहसे काट दिया और झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बहुत-से बाणोंद्वारा उसे घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
chiccheda cāpaṃ karṇasya muṣṭideśe mahārathaḥ |
vivyādha cainaṃ bahubhiḥ sāyakair nataparvabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warrior (Bhīma) cut Karṇa’s bow at the very grip, and then pierced him with many arrows whose joints were bent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a dharmic war setting, prowess is not mere aggression but disciplined effectiveness: Bhīma responds to being overwhelmed by choosing a precise disabling action (cutting the bow at the grip), showing steadiness and tactical restraint within the warrior code.
During the Bhīma–Karṇa encounter, Karṇa repeatedly covers Bhīma with volleys of arrows. Bhīma, enduring the barrage, severs Karṇa’s bow at the hand-grip and then wounds Karṇa with many arrows described as nataparva (with bent joints).