Shloka 5
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
शराणां पुड्खसक्तानां मौर्व्याभिहतया दृढम् । श्रूयतां तलयो: शब्दो भेयोराहतयोरिव,पाँखवाले बाणोंको धनुषकी प्रत्यज्चापर चढ़ाकर भलीभाँति खींचनेके पश्चात् मेरी दोनों हथेलियोंका ऐसा शब्द होता है, जैसे दो नगाड़े पीटे गये हों। आज वह शब्द आपलोग सुनें
śarāṇāṃ puḍkha-saktānāṃ maurvy-abhihatayā dṛḍham | śrūyatāṃ talayoḥ śabdo bheyor āhatayor iva ||
Karna said: “When I set arrows whose feathered ends are fixed to the string and draw the bowstring hard, a resounding crack issues from my two palms—like the beating of a pair of kettledrums. Let all of you hear that sound today.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of demonstrating capability and confidence in battle; ethically, it also illustrates how pride and self-assertion function as persuasive tools in a martial assembly, sometimes blurring the line between rightful confidence and boastful arrogance.
Karna is speaking before others in a war-related context, asserting his strength and readiness by describing the loud sound produced when he forcefully draws the bow with arrows set—comparing it to the beating of two war-drums—and inviting the audience to witness it.