Shloka 18
अताडयद् रणे शूरो जन्नुदेशे नरोत्तम: । उस समय शूरवीर नरश्रेष्ठ सात्यकिने रणभूमिमें बीस पैने बाणोंद्वारा कर्णके गलेकी हँसलीपर प्रहार किया ।। शिखण्डी पज्चविंशत्या धृष्टद्युम्नश्व॒ सप्तभि:,शिखण्डीने पचीस, धृष्टद्युम्नने सात, द्रौपदीके पुत्रोंने चौंसठ, सहदेवने सात और नकुलने सौ बाणोंद्वारा कर्णको युद्धमें घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | atāḍayad raṇe śūro jannudeśe narottamaḥ |
Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, the heroic and foremost of men struck in the region of the neck. In this exchange, Sātyaki pierced Karṇa at the throat–collarbone junction with twenty sharp arrows; then Śikhaṇḍin with twenty-five, Dhṛṣṭadyumna with seven, the sons of Draupadī with sixty-four, Sahadeva with seven, and Nakula with a hundred arrows further wounded Karṇa in the fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores a recurring Mahābhārata insight: martial greatness is not absolute—outcomes in war depend on coordination, timing, and collective effort. Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma as practiced on the battlefield, where concentrated force is used to check a formidable opponent, reminding readers that power must be met with disciplined alliance and strategy.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa is being heavily targeted. Sātyaki first strikes him at the neck/collarbone region with twenty sharp arrows, and then Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Draupadī’s sons, Sahadeva, and Nakula each add volleys of arrows, collectively wounding Karṇa amid the ongoing battle.