Shloka 59
व्यधमच्छरवर्षेण स्मयन्निव धनंजय: । भारत! सूतपुत्रद्वारा की हुई उस बाण-वर्षाको अर्जुनने मुसकराते हुए-से बाणोंकी वृष्टि करके नष्ट कर दिया ।। तौ परस्परमासाद्य शरवर्षेण पार्थिव
vyadhamaccharavarṣeṇa smayann iva dhanañjayaḥ | bhārata! sūtaputreṇa kṛtaṃ tad bāṇa-varṣam arjunena smayamānena iva bāṇānāṃ vṛṣṭyā vināśitam || tau parasparam āsādya śaravarṣeṇa pārthiva ...
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), as though smiling, shattered the arrow-storm unleashed by the charioteer’s son (Karna) by pouring forth his own rain of shafts. Thus, meeting each other head-on, the two warriors assailed one another with torrents of arrows—an image of relentless martial resolve where skill and self-control, not mere rage, govern the violence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid extreme violence, the epic highlights disciplined agency: Arjuna’s ‘as if smiling’ composure suggests mastery over fear and anger. The ethical emphasis is that power in war should be governed by self-control and trained skill, aligning with kṣatriya-dharma rather than uncontrolled wrath.
Karna unleashes a dense barrage of arrows at Arjuna. Arjuna counters with an even more effective shower, dispersing and nullifying Karna’s attack. The verse then transitions to the image of both warriors closing in and continuing a mutual exchange of arrow-torrents.