Shloka 13
कर्णार्जुनयुद्ध-प्रवृत्तिः
Renewal of the Karṇa–Arjuna Engagement at Day’s End
तस्यावर्जितकायस्य द्विरदादुत्पतिष्यत: । नाराचेनाहनद् वक्ष: सात्यकि: सो5पतद् भुवि,वंगराज अपने शरीरको सिकोड़कर उस हाथीसे कूदना ही चाहता था कि सात्यकिने नाराचद्वारा उसकी छाती छेद डाली; अतः: वह घायल होकर भूतलपर गिर पड़ा
tasyāvarjitakāyasya dviradād utpatiṣyataḥ | nārācenāhanad vakṣaḥ sātyakiḥ so 'patad bhuvi ||
Sanjaya said: As the king of Aṅga, drawing in his body, was just about to spring away from the elephant, Sātyaki struck him in the chest with a nārāca arrow. Wounded by that blow, he fell to the ground. The scene underscores the ruthless immediacy of battlefield dharma, where resolve and agility are met by swift, decisive force, and a warrior’s intent can be cut down in an instant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh clarity of kṣatriya-dharma in war: intent and courage must be matched by vigilance, because in battle outcomes turn on instantaneous action. It also reflects the ethical tension of warfare—skill and duty operate within a violent arena where a single well-aimed strike decides life and death.
The Aṅgarāja, having contracted his body to leap away from an elephant, is intercepted mid-action. Sātyaki pierces his chest with a nārāca arrow, and the wounded king falls to the ground.