Shloka 9
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
अथ कर्णों भशं क्रुद्ध: शीघ्रमस्त्रमुदीरयन् । जघान पाण्डवीं सेनामासुरीं मघवानिव
atha karṇo bhṛśaṁ kruddhaḥ śīghram astram udīrayan | jaghāna pāṇḍavīṁ senām āsurīṁ maghavān iva ||
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa, inflamed with fierce wrath, swiftly set his weapon in motion and began to strike down the Pāṇḍava host—just as Maghavān (Indra) destroys the army of the Asuras.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked anger can rapidly amplify destructive power in war. By comparing Karṇa’s onslaught to Indra’s annihilation of the Asuras, it also shows how epic poetry uses divine imagery to magnify human action—inviting reflection on the ethical weight of violence even when performed within a warrior’s duty.
Sañjaya narrates that Karṇa, seized by intense anger, quickly discharges his weapon and begins a fierce slaughter of the Pāṇḍava forces. The scene is heightened through a simile: Karṇa’s attack is like Indra’s destruction of the Asura army.