Shloka 21
तान्यनीकानि भग्नानि द्रवमाणानि भारत | अभ्यद्रवद् द्रुतं कर्ण: पृष्ठठो विकिरन् शरान्,भारत! भयभीत होकर भागते हुए उन सैनिकोंके पीछे बाणोंकी वर्षा करता हुआ कर्ण बड़े वेगसे धावा करता था
tāny anīkāni bhagnāni dravamāṇāni bhārata | abhyadravad drutaṃ karṇaḥ pṛṣṭhato vikiran śarān ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, when those battle-formations broke and the troops fled in panic, Karṇa swiftly charged after them, showering arrows from behind.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly order collapses into panic in war, and how a powerful warrior can magnify that collapse by relentless pursuit. Ethically, it invites reflection on the harsh logic of battlefield advantage versus the human suffering that follows when fear breaks collective resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that certain troop-formations have been shattered and are fleeing. Karṇa, seeing them in retreat, charges rapidly after them and rains arrows upon them from the rear as they run.