Shloka 32
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
धनूंषि ते विधुन्चाना: शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । अयोधयन्त राधेयं शक्रं दैत्यगणा इव,तदनन्तर सैकड़ों और सहस्रों नरेशोंने अपने धनुषोंको कम्पित करते हुए बाणोंकी वर्षसे कर्णकी भी प्रगति रोक दी। जैसे दैत्योंने इन्द्रके साथ संग्राम किया था, उसी प्रकार वे राजालोग राधापुत्र कर्णके साथ युद्ध करने लगे
dhanūṁṣi te vidhuñcānāḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | ayodhayanta rādheyaṁ śakraṁ daityagaṇā iva ||
Sanjaya said: Then, by the hundreds and by the thousands, those kings, shaking their bows, checked Radheya Karna’s advance with a rain of arrows. Like hosts of Daityas battling Indra, they pressed Karna into fierce combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring epic ethic of warfare: individual prowess is real, yet in dharmic battle outcomes also depend on collective action, coordination, and the shifting momentum of the field. The simile (Daityas vs Indra) frames Karna as Indra-like in might, while also reminding that even the strongest can be checked when many unite against him.
A large number of kings confront Karna. They brandish their bows and shower him with arrows, halting his forward movement and forcing him into intense combat, compared to the Daityas’ assault on Indra.