Shloka 69
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
तान् समेतान् महेष्वासान् शरवर्षोचवर्षिण: । एको व्यधमददव्यग्रस्तमांसीव दिवाकर:,जैसे एक ही सूर्य सम्पूर्ण अन्धकार-राशिको नष्ट कर देते हैं, उसी प्रकार एक ही कर्णने ढेर-के-ढेर बाण-वर्षा करनेवाले उन समस्त महाधनुर्धरोंको बिना किसी व्यग्रताके नष्ट कर दिया
tān sametān maheṣvāsān śaravarṣaucavarṣiṇaḥ | eko vyadhamad avyagrās tamāṁsīva divākaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Those great bowmen, gathered together and pouring forth showers of arrows, were nonetheless struck down by Karṇa alone—without the least agitation—just as the sun, single-handed, dispels masses of darkness.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic ideal of unwavering focus (avyagratā) in action: a warrior’s effectiveness is portrayed as arising from steadiness and mastery, not agitation. Ethically, it also shows how the Mahābhārata often aestheticizes violence through cosmic imagery, inviting reflection on the tension between heroic excellence and the human cost of war.
Sañjaya reports that a group of mighty archers, collectively unleashing heavy arrow-fire, are nevertheless overcome by Karṇa alone. The comparison to the sun dispersing darkness emphasizes Karṇa’s overwhelming superiority in that moment of battle.