Shloka 17
Nārada’s Account of the Kaliṅga Svayaṃvara: Duryodhana’s Seizure and Karṇa’s Escort
कर्णस्तेषामापततामेकैकेन शरेण ह । धनूंषि च शरब्रातान् पातयामास भूतले
karṇas teṣām āpatatām ekaikena śareṇa ha | dhanūṃṣi ca śarabrātān pātayāmāsa bhūtale ||
Nārada said: As they charged in, Karṇa struck each man with a single arrow, so that their bows and their bundles of shafts fell upon the earth. The scene lays bare the stern kṣatriya code of battle—decisive skill used to disarm and overpower in the very heat of war.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of mastery and decisiveness in battle: superior skill can neutralize opponents swiftly, often by disarming them, demonstrating controlled power rather than mere slaughter.
As multiple foes rush forward, Karṇa shoots each attacker with a single arrow, knocking down their bows and arrow-sheaves onto the ground, effectively disabling their ability to fight.