Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 30
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
कुरुसेनाशरीराणि पार्थेनैवाहतान्यपि । सेदु: पार्थहतानीव पार्थकर्मानुशासनात्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
kurusenāśarīrāṇi pārthenaivāhatāny api |
seduḥ pārthahatānīva pārthakarmānuśāsanāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Even the bodies of the Kuru warriors, though only struck by Pārtha (Arjuna), were torn and mangled. They lay as if slain by Pārtha’s arrows, for such was the compelling force and mastery of Pārtha’s action in battle that its only fitting comparison was to Pārtha himself.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how disciplined mastery of action (karma) in one’s rightful role—here, a kṣatriya’s battlefield duty—can be so effective that its results appear decisive even without explicit mention of killing; excellence in action carries ethical weight when aligned with one’s responsibility.
In the Virāṭa episode’s battle scene, the narrator describes Kaurava soldiers struck by Arjuna’s arrows: their bodies are so shattered that they lie as though already dead, highlighting Arjuna’s extraordinary prowess.