Shloka 80
जिघांसुभिस्तान् कुशल: शरोत्तमान् महाहवे सम्प्रहितान् प्रयत्नतः । शरै: प्रचिच्छेद स पाण्डवस्त्वरन् पराभिनद् वक्षसि चेषुभिस्त्रिभि:,वधकी इच्छासे आक्रमण करनेवाले उन सब योद्धाओंद्वारा प्रयत्नपूर्वक चलाये गये उन उत्तम बाणोंको महासमरमें युद्धकुशल पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनने तुरंत ही अपने बाणोंद्वारा काट डाला और उन सबकी छातीमें तीन-तीन बाण मारे
jighāṃsubhis tān kuśalaḥ śarottamān mahāhave samprahitān prayatnataḥ | śaraiḥ praciccheda sa pāṇḍavas tvaran parābhinad vakṣasi ceṣubhis tribhiḥ ||
Karna said: In that great battle, the Pandava Arjuna—skilled in warfare—swiftly cut down with his own arrows those excellent shafts that had been launched with determined effort by warriors intent on killing. Then, pressing the attack, he struck each of them in the chest with three arrows.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark battlefield form: when attacked with lethal intent, a warrior must respond with alertness, skill, and decisive force. Ethical conduct here is not sentimental non-violence, but disciplined competence and duty-bound action within the rules of war.
Karna describes Arjuna’s rapid counter: he intercepts and cuts the incoming, well-aimed arrows shot by would-be killers, and then immediately retaliates by piercing their chests with three arrows each, asserting dominance in the exchange.