Shloka 22
तान् प्रत्यविध्यद् राधेय: पञ्चभि: पडठ्चभि: शरै: | सात्यकेस्तु धनुश्कछित्त्वा ध्वजं च भरतर्षभ
tān pratyavidhyad rādheyaḥ pañcabhiḥ pañcabhiḥ śaraiḥ | sātyakestu dhanuś chittvā dhvajaṃ ca bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya said: Rādheya (Karna) struck back at them with five and five arrows. Then, O bull among the Bharatas, he cut down Sātyaki’s bow and also his banner.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya-world of the epic where immediate duty in battle is expressed through disciplined skill and counteraction; ethical reflection is implicit in the tragic momentum of war, where victory is pursued through decisive, targeted acts (disarming by cutting the bow and banner).
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa retaliates against his opponents with repeated sets of five arrows, and specifically disables Sātyaki by cutting his bow and striking down his banner, signaling a tactical advantage and intensifying the duel.