Shloka 4
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
ततो युधिष्छिरो राजन् स्वर्णपुड्खाजञ्छिलीमुखान् । दुर्योधनाय चिक्षेप त्रयोदश शिलाशितान्,राजन! तब युधिष्ठिरने सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले तेरह बाण दुर्योधनपर चलाये
tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājan svarṇapuṅkhān śilīmukhān | duryodhanāya cikṣepa trayodaśa śilāśitān ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Yudhiṣṭhira shot at Duryodhana thirteen arrows—stone-whetted and keen—fitted with golden fletching. The act signals the grim resolve of righteous kingship forced into battle: even one committed to dharma must employ disciplined violence when the war has become unavoidable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma in a tragic setting: even a dharma-centered ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira must act with martial decisiveness when justice and survival demand it, showing that ethical life sometimes involves constrained, duty-bound force rather than personal hatred.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Yudhiṣṭhira, mounting his bow, releases thirteen sharp, stone-whetted arrows with golden fletching directly at Duryodhana, marking an intense exchange in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.