Shloka 6
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
समासाद्य तु ते कर्ण व्यशीर्यन्त महारथा: । यथाचलं समासाद्य वार्योघा: सर्वतोदिशम्,कर्णके पास पहुँचकर वे सब महारथी बिखर गये, ठीक वैसे ही जैसे जलके प्रवाह किसी पर्वतके पास पहुँचकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें फैल जाते हैं
samāsādya tu te karṇa vyaśīryanta mahārathāḥ | yathācalaṃ samāsādya vāryoghāḥ sarvato diśam ||
Sañjaya said: “O Karṇa, when those great chariot-warriors closed in upon you, they were scattered and broken apart—just as torrents of water, on reaching an immovable mountain, spread out in every direction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under pressure: when a force meets an unshakable center (like a mountain), its momentum disperses. Ethically, it frames battlefield excellence as firmness and composure that prevents chaos from overwhelming one’s position.
Sañjaya reports that elite warriors who advanced toward Karṇa could not hold formation against him; upon reaching him they scattered in different directions, compared to floodwaters spreading out after striking a mountain.