Shloka 193
दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat
अभ्यहंस्तरसा राज5शरै: परशरीरगै: । राजन्! तदनन्तर कर्णने पतंगोंकी तरह चलकर शत्रुओंके शरीरोंमें घुस जानेवाले बाणोंद्वारा वेगपूर्वक दसों दिशाओंमें प्रहार आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca | abhyahaṃs tarasā rājan śaraiḥ paraśarīragaiḥ | rājan tad-anantaraṃ karṇena pataṅgān iva calitvā śatrūṇāṃ śarīreṣu ghus-jāne-vālaiḥ bāṇaiḥ vegapūrvakaṃ daśo diśāsu prahāram ārabdhaḥ |
Sanjaya said: O King, then with great speed he struck with arrows that penetrated into the bodies of others. After that, Karna began a fierce assault in all ten directions, his shafts moving like moths and entering the bodies of the enemy—an image of war’s relentless momentum, where prowess is displayed through deadly efficiency rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahabharata’s sober view of war: martial excellence can be dazzling and terrifying, yet it operates through harm. It implicitly contrasts valor and effectiveness with the ethical cost of violence, reminding the listener that battlefield glory is inseparable from suffering inflicted on bodies.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Karna launches a rapid, all-direction assault. His arrows, compared to moths in their swift darting, penetrate the enemies’ bodies as he begins striking across the battlefield in every direction.