Shloka 21
तब कर्णपुत्र वृषसेनने तुरंत ही दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर पाण्डुकुमार नकुलको बींध डाला। कर्णका पुत्र अस्त्रविद्याका ज्ञाता था, इसलिये वह नकुलपर दिव्यास्त्रोंकी वर्षा करने लगा
tataḥ karṇaputro vṛṣasenena tūrṇam eva dvitīyaṃ dhanuḥ hastena gṛhītvā pāṇḍukumāraṃ nakulaṃ vivyādha. karṇasya putro 'stravidyāyāḥ jñātā tasmāt sa nakule divyāstrāṇāṃ varṣaṃ mumoca.
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa’s son Vṛṣasena, swiftly taking up a second bow in his hand, pierced Nakula, the son of Pāṇḍu. Skilled in the science of weapons, Karṇa’s son began to shower Nakula with celestial missiles.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how mastery of knowledge (astravidyā) is ethically neutral: in war it can become a tool for intensified harm. It invites reflection on restraint and responsibility—skills and power should be governed by dharma, otherwise they escalate suffering.
Vṛṣasena, Karna’s son, quickly takes up another bow and strikes Nakula. Because he is proficient in weapon-lore, he follows up by unleashing a heavy barrage of divine missiles against Nakula.