Shloka 32
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
तत्पश्चात् उनपर पुनः सैकड़ों और हजारों बाणोंका प्रहार किया। सुदृढ़ धनुर्धर कर्णके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो भीमसेनने एक क्षुरके द्वारा तुरंत ही उसके धनुषकी प्रत्यंचा काट दी ।। सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत् | वाहांश्व चतुरस्तस्य व्यसूंश्चक्रे महारथ:,साथ ही उसके सारथिको एक भल्लसे मारकर रथकी बैठकसे नीचे गिरा दिया। इतना ही नहीं, महारथी भीमने उसके चारों घोड़ोंके भी प्राण ले लिये
tataḥ paścāt punar enaṁ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ śarair abhyahanat | karṇasya dṛḍhadhanvanaḥ śarair pīḍito ’pi bhīmasenaḥ kṣureṇa tvaritaṁ tasya dhanūṁṣi jyāṁ ciccheda || sārathiṁ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat | vāhāṁś ca caturas tasya vyasūṁś cakre mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Thereafter he struck him again with hundreds and thousands of arrows. Though tormented by the shafts of Karṇa, the mighty Bhīmasena swiftly severed the bowstring of his firm-bowed foe with a razor-headed arrow. Then, with a broad-headed shaft, he felled Karṇa’s charioteer from the chariot-seat; and that great warrior also deprived his four steeds of life.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights battlefield pragmatism: even when wounded, a warrior may seek decisive advantage by disabling the opponent’s weapon, charioteer, and horses. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the harsh necessities of war, where victory often comes through tactical neutralization rather than mere display of strength.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma being struck by Karṇa’s many arrows, yet responding swiftly: he cuts Karṇa’s bowstring with a kṣura-arrow, then knocks down Karṇa’s charioteer with a bhalla-arrow, and finally kills the four horses—effectively crippling Karṇa’s chariot and combat capability.