Shloka 26
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
ते वर्म हेमविकृतं भित्त्वा राज्ञ: शिलाशिता:
te varma hemavikṛtaṃ bhittvā rājñaḥ śilāśitāḥ
Dijo Sañjaya: Aquellos proyectiles de punta pétrea, tras perforar la armadura del rey—forjada y adornada con oro—atravesaron su defensa. En la dura ética del deber en el campo de batalla, incluso las espléndidas protecciones reales se muestran frágiles ante la fuerza implacable, cuando el valor y el destino empujan a los combatientes hacia el fin que les ha sido señalado.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the battlefield truth that external splendor and protection (gold-worked armor) cannot guarantee safety; in war, duty-driven violence and the momentum of fate can overwhelm even royal defenses, reminding readers of the fragility of worldly safeguards.
Sañjaya describes a combat moment where stone-tipped missiles/shafts pierce a king’s gold-adorned armor, indicating a successful, forceful strike against a prominent warrior amid the Karṇa Parva battle.