Shloka 543
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
दुर्योधनस्तु विंशत्या कर्णशल्यौ त्रिभिस्त्रिभि: | अश्वत्थामाने पचीस, वृषसेनने सात, दुर्योधनने बीस तथा कर्ण और शल्यने तीन-तीन बाणोंसे अर्जुनको घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanas tu viṃśatyā karṇaśalyau tribhis tribhiḥ | aśvatthāmānaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā vṛṣaseṃnena sapta duryodhanena viṃśatyā tathā karṇaśalyābhyāṃ tribhis tribhir bāṇair arjunaṃ vyathayām āsa |
Sanjaya said: Duryodhana struck Arjuna with twenty arrows; Vṛṣasena with seven; Aśvatthāman with twenty-five; and Karṇa and Śalya each with three. Thus, in the press of battle, the Kaurava champions together wounded Arjuna—an image of many assailing one, where prowess is measured not only by strength but by steadfastness under collective aggression.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights endurance and steadiness amid overwhelming opposition: multiple renowned warriors combine their force against a single foe, yet the ethical emphasis in the epic frame is on steadfast courage and the testing of a kṣatriya’s resolve under concentrated attack.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that several Kaurava champions—Duryodhana, Vrishasena, Ashvatthaman, and also Karna and Shalya—simultaneously shoot Arjuna with specified numbers of arrows, wounding him in the ongoing battle of the Drona Parva.