Shloka 59
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
दीप्यमाना महाशक्त्यो जग्मुराधिरथिं प्रति । उनके हाथोंसे छूटी हुई वे अत्यन्त वेगशालिनी सर्पाकार महाशक्तियाँ अपनी प्रभासे प्रकाशित होती हुई कर्णकी ओर चलीं || ५८ $ || ता निकृत्य शरव्रातैस्त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरजिद्वागै:
dīpyamānā mahāśaktyo jagmur ādhirathiṃ prati |
Sañjaya said: Blazing with their own radiance, the great spear-weapons—swift as serpents in their flight—sped forth toward Ādhirathi (Karna). The scene underscores the war’s relentless escalation: even the most formidable arms, once released, move with an almost fated momentum, testing not only martial skill but also the moral endurance of those who wield violence in a dharmic crisis.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how acts of violence, once set in motion, acquire an unstoppable force—suggesting the ethical weight of initiating harm. In the Mahābhārata’s dharma-crisis, prowess is inseparable from responsibility: the warrior’s skill must be measured against the consequences of unleashing destructive power.
Sañjaya describes great spear-weapons, radiant and fast, flying toward Karṇa (called Ādhirathi). It is a vivid battlefield image of missiles released and closing in on their target, intensifying the duel and the peril around Karṇa.