Shloka 473
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
प्रत्युध्ययौ तदा कर्ण यथा वृत्रं शतक्रतुः । राजेन्द्र! उस समय वृत्रासुरपर चढ़ाई करनेवाले इन्द्रके समान पांचालोंसे घिरे हुए अर्जुनने भी कर्णपर धावा किया
pratyudyayau tadā karṇa yathā vṛtraṃ śatakratuḥ | rājendra! us samaya vṛtrāsura-para caṛhāī karanevāle indra ke samāna pāñcāloṃ se ghirē huē arjuna ne bhī karṇa par dhāvā kiyā |
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa advanced to meet him, just as Śatakratu (Indra) once advanced against Vṛtra. O best of kings, at that moment Arjuna too—surrounded by the Pāñcālas—charged at Karṇa, like Indra pressing his assault upon Vṛtrāsura.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how epic warfare is narrated through dharmic and mythic frames: a human duel is likened to Indra’s cosmic battle with Vṛtra, suggesting that courage and duty propel warriors forward even when the broader conflict is ethically tragic.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa moves forward to meet the attack, and Arjuna—supported and surrounded by the Pāñcāla forces—charges directly at Karṇa, intensifying the confrontation between the two foremost champions.