Shloka 41
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
राजन मर्मसु मर्मज्ञो विव्याध निशितै: शरै: । ननाद बलवन्नादं कम्पयन्निव रोदसी
rājan marmasu marmajño vivyādha niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | nanāda balavannādaṃ kampayann iva rodasī ||
Sañjaya said: O King, Bhīmasena—skilled in striking vital points—pierced the charioteer’s son (Karna) in his vulnerable spots with sharp arrows. Then he roared with a mighty cry, as though shaking both earth and sky.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of the battlefield: mastery, focus, and decisive action. It also underscores the Mahābhārata’s realism about conflict—victory often turns on knowledge of vulnerabilities (marmas) and unwavering resolve, even when the struggle is morally complex.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, taking up another bow, strikes Karna in his vital spots with sharp arrows and then lets out a thunderous roar, described as if it shakes earth and sky.