Shloka 39
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
तस्य कर्णों धरनुर्मध्ये द्विधा चिच्छेद पत्रिभि: । अथीैनं छिन्नधन्वानं प्रत्यविध्यत् स्तनान्तरे
tasya karṇo dhanuḥmadhye dvidhā ciccheda patribhiḥ | athainaṃ chinnadhanvānaṃ pratyavidhyat stanāntare ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa then split his opponent’s bow in the very middle with sharp arrows. And when that warrior stood with his bow cut, Karṇa struck him back, piercing him in the space between the breasts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya prowess and the ethical weight of warfare: technical excellence (cutting the bow) quickly becomes lethal action (piercing the chest), reminding the reader that skill in battle carries grave moral and human consequences.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa severs his opponent’s bow at the midpoint with arrows, effectively disarming him, and then immediately counter-strikes, piercing the now bowless warrior in the chest between the breasts.