Shloka 19
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
सो&5तिविद्धो महेष्वास: सूतपुत्रेण संयुगे । कर्ण विव्याध समरे नवत्या निशितै: शरै:
so 'tividdho maheṣvāsaḥ sūtaputreṇa saṃyuge | karṇaṃ vivyādha samare navatyā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Though grievously wounded in the clash by the charioteer’s son, the great archer Śikhaṇḍin stood firm on the battlefield and, in the thick of combat, struck Karṇa in return with ninety razor-sharp arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethic of battlefield reciprocity within kṣatriya-dharma: even when gravely wounded, a warrior is expected to remain steadfast and respond with skill and resolve. It also reflects how war tends to escalate suffering—injury begets counter-injury—showing the moral weight and tragic momentum of combat.
Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍin, though badly hurt by Karṇa (called ‘the sūta’s son’), counters effectively and strikes Karṇa with ninety sharp arrows during the ongoing fight.