Shloka 60
सृजेतां स्पर्थिनावेतौ दिव्यान्यस्त्राणि सर्वश: । वध्यमानेषु चास्त्रेषु पीडित: सूतनन्दन:
sṛjetāṃ spardhināv etau divyāny astrāṇi sarvaśaḥ | vadhyamāneṣu cāstreṣu pīḍitaḥ sūtanandanaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: Those two rival warriors unleashed every kind of celestial weapon. As the missiles were struck down and neutralized in mid-course, the charioteer’s son (Karna) was hard-pressed—his assault repeatedly checked amid the escalating exchange of divine arms.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how rivalry can drive combatants to total escalation—deploying every available power—yet even extraordinary force meets resistance and counter-force. Ethically, it underscores the self-reinforcing cycle of violence in war: each side’s ‘divine’ capability becomes a means of intensifying suffering rather than resolving conflict.
Two opposing champions are exchanging celestial missiles. Their weapons are being countered and destroyed as they are launched, and in this back-and-forth Karṇa—identified as the charioteer’s son—is described as being severely pressured, his attacks repeatedly checked.