Shloka 87
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
हस्त्यड्रान्यथ कर्णाय प्राहिणोत् पाण्डुनन्दन: । चक्राण्यश्वांस्तथा चान्यद् यद् यत् पश्यति भूतले,कर्णने अपने बाणोंद्वारा उस हाथीके भी टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये। तब पाण्डुनन्दन भीमने हाथीके कटे हुए अंगोंको ही कर्णपर फेंकना शुरू किया। रथोंके पहिये, घोड़ोंकी लाशें तथा और भी जो-जो वस्तुएँ वे धरतीपर पड़ी देखते, उन्हें उठाकर क्रोधपूर्वक कर्णपर फेंकते थे; परंतु वे जो-जो वस्तु फेंकते, उन सबको कर्ण अपने तीखे बाणोंसे काट डालता था
hasty-aḍrān atha karṇāya prāhiṇot pāṇḍu-nandanaḥ | cakrāṇy aśvāṁs tathā cānyad yad yat paśyati bhūtale ||
Sañjaya said: Then the son of Pāṇḍu hurled a great elephant-mass toward Karṇa. He also flung chariot-wheels, dead horses, and whatever else he could see lying on the ground—snatching them up in wrath and casting them at Karṇa. Yet whatever was thrown, Karṇa, with his keen arrows, cut it down. Thus did battle-fury grasp at any weapon at hand, while disciplined skill answered with controlled, precise force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts uncontrolled rage—using whatever objects lie at hand as weapons—with disciplined mastery, as Karṇa repeatedly neutralizes incoming projectiles. Ethically, it highlights how inner control and trained skill can prevail over impulsive violence, even amid the chaos of war.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma (the Pāṇḍava) hurling an elephant-mass and then battlefield debris like chariot wheels and horses at Karṇa. Karṇa counters by slicing each thrown object apart with sharp arrows, demonstrating superior precision under pressure.