Shloka 42
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
ते गाण्डीवप्रमुक्तास्तु नानारूपा: पतत्रिण: । क्रोशे साग्रे स्थितान् घ्नन्ति द्विपांश्व पुरुषान् रणे
te gāṇḍīvapramuktās tu nānārūpāḥ patatriṇaḥ | krośe sāgre sthitān ghnanti dvipāṁś ca puruṣān raṇe ||
Sañjaya said: The arrows released from the Gāṇḍīva—of many shapes and flights—were striking down, in the battle, elephants and men who stood more than a krośa away.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power in war magnifies responsibility: skill and superior weapons can determine fate from afar, reminding the listener that martial excellence carries grave ethical consequences when used in a righteous or unrighteous cause.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield effect of arrows shot from the Gāṇḍīva: they fly in varied forms and strike down elephants and men positioned at a distance greater than a krośa, emphasizing the dominance and reach of the archer’s attack.