Shloka 5
कर्णार्जुनयुद्ध-प्रवृत्तिः
Renewal of the Karṇa–Arjuna Engagement at Day’s End
तान् सम्मिमर्दिषून् नागान् पार्ष्ण्यड्गुष्ठाडकुशैर्भशम् । चोदितान् पार्षतो बाणैर्नाराचैर भ्यवीवृषत्
tān sammimardiṣūn nāgān pārṣṇyaṅguṣṭhāḍakuśair bhaśam | coditān pārṣato bāṇair nārācair abhyavīvṛṣat ||
Sañjaya said: As those mighty elephants were being violently pressed and driven on—goaded hard with heel, toe, and the elephant-hook—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Pṛṣata, showered them at close range with arrows, especially iron-headed nārācas, checking their onrush amid the fury of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of meeting force with disciplined counter-force: when destructive power (war-elephants driven with hooks) threatens to overwhelm, a responsible warrior responds with focused, effective resistance to protect his side and restore balance on the battlefield.
In the Karṇa Parva battle scene, elephants are being aggressively driven forward by their riders using heel, toe, and goad. Dhṛṣṭadyumna counters this charge by raining arrows—especially nārācas—upon the elephants to halt or break their advance.