Shloka 22
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
स पपात तदा भूमौ निकृत्त: पार्थसायकै: । विकीर्ण: पर्वतो राजन् यथा वज्नेण ताडित:
sa papāta tadā bhūmau nikṛttaḥ pārthasāyakaiḥ | vikīrṇaḥ parvato rājan yathā vajreṇa tāḍitaḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: Entonces, oh Rey, aquella clava de hierro (parigha), hecha trizas por las flechas de Arjuna, cayó a tierra. Quedó despedazada y esparcida, como una montaña golpeada por el rayo de Indra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic theme that sheer might and terrifying weapons can be rendered powerless when opposed by superior skill and destiny-aligned strength; it also highlights the moral gravity of war, where even formidable instruments of violence are broken and brought low.
Sañjaya describes to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra how a massive club-like weapon (parigha) is cut apart by Arjuna’s arrows and falls to the ground in fragments, compared to a mountain shattered by Indra’s thunderbolt.