Shloka 3
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
मम चापप्रयुक्तानां शराणां नतपर्वणाम् | नावृत्तिर्गच्छतां तेषां सर्पाणामिव सर्पताम्,मेरे धनुषसे छूटकर सर्पोकी भाँति आगे बढ़नेवाले और झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाण कभी अपने लक्ष्यसे च्युत नहीं होते
mama cāpaprayuktānāṃ śarāṇāṃ nataparvaṇām | nāvṛttir gacchatāṃ teṣāṃ sarpāṇām iva sarpatām ||
Karna said: “The arrows I release from my bow—hard-jointed and bent at the knots—do not turn back or stray once they have been sent forth. Like serpents gliding straight toward their prey, they press onward to their mark.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ideal of unwavering resolve: once a righteous combatant commits to an action in battle, it should proceed without hesitation or retreat—symbolized by arrows that do not turn back.
Karna is asserting his battlefield confidence, describing the unstoppable, straight-driving nature of the arrows he shoots—comparing their forward motion to serpents that glide directly toward their target.