Shloka 23
नैवाददानो न च संदधानो न चेषुधी: स्पृश्यमान: कराग्रै: । अदृश्यद् वै लाघवात सूतपुत्र: सर्व बाणैश्छादयानो<न्तरिक्षम्,सूतपुत्र कर्ण जब शीघ्रतापूर्वक बाणोंद्वारा समूचे आकाशको आच्छादित कर रहा था, उस समय यह नहीं दिखायी देता था कि वह कब अपने हाथकी अंगुलियोंसे तरकसको छूता है, कब बाण निकालता है और कब उसे धनुषपर रखता है
naivādadāno na ca saṃdadhāno na ceṣudhīḥ spṛśyamānaḥ karāgraiḥ | adṛśyad vai lāghavāt sūtaputraḥ sarvabāṇaiś chādayāno 'ntarikṣam ||
Sañjaya said: As Karṇa, the charioteer’s son, swiftly covered the whole sky with his arrows, it could not be seen—so great was his speed—when he touched the quiver with his fingertips, when he drew forth the shafts, or when he set them upon the bow.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of focused effort and mastery of technique: when skill is perfected and driven by intense resolve, the process becomes imperceptible and only the result dominates. Ethically, it also reminds the reader that extraordinary capability in war magnifies consequences, making restraint and right intention crucial in a dharmic evaluation of action.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa’s astonishing rapidity in archery. Karṇa fires so quickly that observers cannot discern the intermediate actions—touching the quiver, drawing arrows, and setting them on the bow—while his volleys seem to blanket the sky.