Shloka 33
शरास्त्रवृष्ट्या निहतो महात्मा प्रादुश्षकारातिमनुष्यकर्म । प्राच्छादयत् कर्णरथं पृषत्कै- लॉकानिमान् सूर्य इवांशुजालै:
śarāstravṛṣṭyā nihato mahātmā prāduśṣakārātimanuṣyakarma | prācchādayat karṇarathaṁ pṛṣatkaiḥ lokān imān sūrya ivāṁśujālaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Struck by a shower of arrows, that great-souled warrior—whose deeds were beyond ordinary human measure—covered Karṇa’s chariot with his shafts, just as the sun veils these worlds with its net of rays.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that true martial excellence is disciplined, purposeful action: overwhelming force is portrayed as controlled skill that decisively restrains an opponent, likened to the sun’s orderly spread of rays—power expressed with direction rather than chaos.
A great warrior, after being struck by a shower of arrows, displays superhuman prowess and responds by blanketing Karṇa’s chariot with his own arrows, visually overwhelming it the way the sun’s rays fill and cover the world.