Shloka 30
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
तमायान्तं महेष्वासं सात्यकिं युद्धदुर्मदम् । राधेयो दशभिर्बाणै: प्रत्यविध्यदजिद्वागैः
tam āyāntaṁ maheṣvāsaṁ sātyakiṁ yuddha-durmadam | rādhyo daśabhir bāṇaiḥ pratyavidhyad ajidvāgaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As the great archer Sātyaki advanced—fierce with the intoxication of battle—Rādheya (Karna) struck him in return with ten arrows, swift and unerring in their flight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how combat can inflame the mind ('yuddha-durmada'), making retaliation immediate and forceful. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya-dharma (meeting an oncoming foe) and the inner discipline needed to prevent rage from becoming the true driver of action.
Sātyaki advances as a formidable archer, and Karṇa (Rādheya) responds by countering him with ten arrows, striking him as he comes forward—an exchange that intensifies their battlefield confrontation.