Shloka 101
अस्त्रैरस्त्राणि संवार्य प्रनिघ्नन् सव्यसाचिन: । चक्रे चाप्यधिकं पार्थात् स्ववीर्यमतिदर्शयन्
astrair astrāṇi saṃvārya prani-ghnan savyasācinaḥ | cakre cāpy adhikaṃ pārthāt sva-vīryam ati-darśayan ||
Sañjaya said: Weapon meeting weapon, Karṇa checked the missiles of Savyasācin (Arjuna) and struck them down. Displaying the full measure of his prowess, he even seemed to outdo Pārtha, making his strength manifest on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of meeting force with disciplined skill—weapon countering weapon—while also showing how battlefield perception can shift: prowess must be demonstrated through effective restraint and decisive action, not mere claim.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa successfully neutralizes Arjuna’s incoming astras by matching them with his own, destroying them, and thereby appears to surpass Arjuna in that exchange, publicly exhibiting his valor.