Shloka 24
अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna
तस्य मुष्टिहतस्याजी पाण्डवेन बलीयसा । सर्वाण्यस्थीनि सहसा प्रापतन् वै पृथक् पृथक्,युद्धस्थलमें बलवान पाण्डुपुत्रके मुक्केकी मार खाकर कलिंगराजकी सारी हड्डियाँ सहसा चूर-चूर हो पृथक्-पृथक् गिर गयीं
tasya muṣṭihatasyājau pāṇḍavena balīyasā | sarvāṇy asthīni sahasā prāpatan vai pṛthak pṛthak ||
Sañjaya said: Struck in battle by the mighty Pāṇḍava’s fist, his bones shattered at once and fell apart in separate pieces.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of dharma-yuddha: even great warriors are subject to sudden bodily destruction. It implicitly points to the impermanence of physical strength and the grave ethical weight of violence undertaken as kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya narrates that a powerful Pāṇḍava strikes his opponent with a fist in the midst of battle, causing the opponent’s bones to shatter and fall apart. In the Gītā Press contextual tradition, the opponent is identified as the king of Kaliṅga.