Shloka 18
कवचं च ध्वजं चैव धनु: शक्ति्हया: शरा: । शरै: कृत्ता महेष्वास यतमानस्य संयुगे
kavacaṃ ca dhvajaṃ caiva dhanuḥ śaktiṃ hayāḥ śarāḥ | śaraiḥ kṛttā maheṣvāsa yatamānasya saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya dijo: «¡Oh gran arquero! Mientras yo me esforzaba con todas mis fuerzas en el fragor del combate, Karṇa—ante los ojos del ejército—hizo pedazos con sus flechas mi armadura y mi estandarte, mi arco, mi lanza, mis caballos e incluso mis propias saetas, cortándolo todo en fragmentos».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between human effort (yatna) and overpowering force on the battlefield: even a determined warrior can be undone when confronted by superior skill. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—courage and persistence amid destructive consequences.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment in which Karṇa’s arrows visibly dismantle an opponent’s key martial supports—armour, standard, weapons, horses, and ammunition—signaling Karṇa’s dominance and the rapid reversal of a combatant’s capacity to fight.