Shloka 22
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
असिना धनुषा शक््त्या हयैनगिनरि रथै: | आयसेन च दण्डेन व्रातान् व्रातान् हनिष्यति,वे खड्ग, धनुष, शक्ति, घोड़े, हाथी, मनुष्य एवं रथोंद्वारा और लोहेके डंडेसे समूह-के- समूह सैनिकोंका संहार कर डालेंगे
asinā dhanuṣā śaktyā hayair nāgair rathaiḥ | āyasena ca daṇḍena vrātān vrātān haniṣyati ||
Karna said: “With sword, bow, and spear; with horses, elephants, and chariots; and even with iron clubs, he will slaughter the warriors in mass after mass.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: once war’s logic takes over, skill and resources become instruments of mass destruction. It implicitly invites reflection on how dharma in battle can be overwhelmed by anger, rivalry, and the momentum of violence.
Karna is describing (and effectively forecasting) a warrior’s devastating combat action—slaughtering enemy troops in successive groups using multiple weapons and war-assets (horses, elephants, chariots), emphasizing the scale and intensity of the fighting in Droṇa Parva.