Shloka 30
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
सौभद्रंं शतशो<विध्यदुत्तमास्त्राणि दर्शयन् । सोस्स्त्रैरस्त्रविदां श्रेष्ठोी रामशिष्य: प्रतापवान्,समरे शत्रुदुर्थर्षमभिमन्युमपीडयत् । विजय पानेकी इच्छा रखनेवाला, सम्पूर्ण धनुर्धरोंमें मानी, अस्त्रवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ, परशुरामजीके शिष्य और प्रतापी वीर कर्णने अपने उत्तम अस्त्रोंका प्रदर्शन करते हुए सैकड़ों बाणोंद्वारा शत्रुदुर्जय सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युको बींध डाला और समरांगणमें उसे पीड़ा देना आरम्भ किया
saubhadraṁ śataśo vidhyad uttamāstrāṇi darśayan | so 'strair astravidāṁ śreṣṭho rāmaśiṣyaḥ pratāpavān, samare śatrudurtharṣam abhimanyum apīḍayat |
Sañjaya said: Displaying his finest missiles, the mighty Karṇa—eager for victory, famed among all bowmen, foremost among masters of weapons, a disciple of Rāma (Paraśurāma)—pierced Saubhadra Abhimanyu again and again with hundreds of arrows. In the thick of battle he pressed and tormented Abhimanyu, that foe whom enemies found hard to withstand, showing how prowess and ambition, when unrestrained by compassion, intensify the cruelty of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how mastery of arms and the drive for victory can magnify harm when compassion and restraint are absent. It invites reflection on the ethical tension in dharma-yuddha: skill and fame do not automatically confer righteousness if they serve relentless cruelty.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa showcasing powerful weapons and repeatedly striking Abhimanyu—Subhadrā’s son—with hundreds of arrows, beginning to overpower and inflict severe pain upon him in the battle.