Shloka 74
।। नदीनदं भूरिजलो महार्णवो यथा तथा तान् समरे<र्जुनो5ग्रसत्,परंतु जैसे प्रचुर जलसे भरा हुआ महासागर नदियों और नदोंके जलको आत्मसात् कर लेता है, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनने समरांगणमें उन सब वीरोंको ग्रस लिया। वे कब धनुषपर उत्तम बाणोंका संधान करते और कब उन्हें छोड़ते हैं, यह शत्रुओंको नहीं दिखायी देता था; किंतु अर्जुनके बाणोंसे विदीर्ण हुए हाथी, घोड़े और मनुष्य प्राणशून्य हो धड़ाधड़ गिरते जा रहे थे
nadīnadaṁ bhūrijalo mahārṇavo yathā tathā tān samare 'rjuno 'grasat
Karna said: “Just as the vast ocean, swollen with abundant waters, absorbs the streams and rivers that flow into it, so in that battle Arjuna seemed to swallow up those warriors. His enemies could not even perceive when he fixed excellent arrows to his bow or when he released them; yet elephants, horses, and men, pierced by Arjuna’s shafts, kept collapsing one after another, lifeless.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and momentum in war can make resistance seem futile—like rivers vanishing into the ocean—while also reminding the listener of the grave human and animal cost of battle. It frames martial excellence within the kṣatriya world, where prowess is admired even by opponents, yet its results are starkly lethal.
Karna describes Arjuna’s overwhelming performance in the fight: Arjuna’s rapid, almost imperceptible arrow-work prevents enemies from tracking his actions, and the battlefield fills with elephants, horses, and men falling dead from his arrows.