Shloka 20
स शक्रचापप्रतिमेन धन््वना भूशायतेनाधिरथि: शरान् सृजन् | बभौ रणे दीप्तमरीचिमण्डलो यथांशुमाली परिवेषवांस्तथा,इन्द्रधनुषके समान खींचे हुए मण्डलाकार विशाल धनुषके द्वारा बाणोंकी वर्षा करता हुआ अधिरथपुत्र कर्ण रणभूमिमें प्रकाशमान किरणोंवाले परिधियुक्त अंशुमाली सूर्यके समान शोभा पा रहा था
sa śakracāpapratimena dhanvanā bhūśāyatenādhirathiḥ śarān sṛjan | babhau raṇe dīptamarīcimaṇḍalo yathāṃśumālī pariveṣavāṃs tathā ||
Sañjaya said: With a mighty bow resembling Indra’s rainbow, the son of Adhiratha—Karna—lay low upon the earth yet continued to discharge volleys of arrows. On that battlefield he shone like the sun, ringed with a radiant halo, his blazing rays seeming to encircle him.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war: extraordinary valor and radiance can coexist with a morally fraught setting. Karna’s splendor is portrayed as sunlike, suggesting that personal excellence and steadfastness may persist even when the larger enterprise (battle) is ethically complex and shadowed by fate.
Sañjaya reports that Karna, though brought down to the ground, continues to fight fiercely—releasing showers of arrows with a bow likened to Indra’s rainbow. His presence on the battlefield appears dazzling, compared to the sun surrounded by a luminous halo.