Shloka 55
अस्त्रमस्त्रेण संवार्य प्राणदद् विसृजज्छरान् । उसी प्रकार अधिरथकुमार कर्णने भी प्रज्वलित तेजवाले अर्जुनके बाणोंका तथा उनके प्रत्येक अस्त्रका अपने अस्त्रोंद्रारा निवारण करके बाणोंकी वर्षा करते हुए बड़े जोरसे सिंहनाद किया || ५४ $ || धृष्टद्युम्नश्व॒ भीमश्च सात्यकिश्न महारथ:
astraṁ astreṇa saṁvārya prāṇadad visṛjan śarān | tathā adhirathakumāraḥ karṇo 'pi prajvalitatejasaḥ arjunasya bāṇān tathā tasya pratyekam astram svāstrair nivārya śaravarṣaṁ visṛjan mahābalena siṁhanādaṁ cakāra ||
Sañjaya said: Countering weapon with weapon, he unleashed arrows as if staking his very life. In the same way, Karṇa—the son of Adhiratha—checked Arjuna’s blazing shafts and each of his missile-weapons with his own, and while pouring forth a rain of arrows, he roared aloud like a lion, proclaiming his resolve in the midst of righteous but devastating war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfast courage and skill under extreme peril: meeting force with disciplined counter-force (astra with astra), maintaining resolve, and asserting one’s duty-bound valor even amid morally weighty destruction.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa matching Arjuna’s blazing weapons by neutralizing each with his own missiles, then unleashing a dense volley of arrows and sounding a lion-like roar—an emphatic declaration of challenge and confidence in the ongoing battle.