Shloka 17
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
प्रतिरुद्धस्तत: कर्णो रोषात् प्रस्फुरिताधर: । शिखण्डिन त्रिभिर्बाणैर्भुवोर्मध्ये3भ्यताडयत्
pratiruddhas tataḥ karṇo roṣāt prasphuritādharaḥ | śikhaṇḍinaṃ tribhir bāṇair bhruvormadhye 'bhyatāḍayat ||
Sañjaya said: When his advance was checked, Karṇa—his lips quivering with anger—struck Śikhaṇḍin with three arrows, hitting him hard between the eyebrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger arising from obstruction can drive a warrior toward immediate, targeted harm. It implicitly warns that in war, emotional agitation (roṣa) can dominate judgment, even when actions remain within the harsh norms of kṣatriya combat.
Karṇa’s movement/attack is checked by opposition; enraged, he retaliates by shooting three arrows at Śikhaṇḍin, striking him between the eyebrows—an image of a precise, punishing counterattack described by Sañjaya.