Shloka 14
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
एवमुक्त्वा महाराज कर्ण पाण्डुसुतस्तदा । सुवर्णपुड्खैर्दशभिर्विव्याधायस्मयै: शरै:
evam uktvā mahārāja karṇa pāṇḍusutas tadā | suvarṇapuḍkhair daśabhir vivyādha āyasmyaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O great king, having spoken thus, the son of Pāṇḍu then pierced Karṇa with ten iron arrows fitted with golden feathers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ethic that speech in war is immediately accountable to action: declarations and challenges are validated through disciplined, skillful execution, while the conflict’s moral tension lies in how duty and retaliation drive escalating violence.
After a prior exchange of words, Arjuna (the son of Pāṇḍu) promptly attacks Karṇa, striking him with ten iron arrows adorned with golden fletching, as Sañjaya reports the unfolding duel to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra.