Shloka 26
निर्भिद्य तूर्ण विविशु: सुतीक्षणा- स्ताक्ष्यत्रस्ता भूमिमिवोरगास्ते । शराचिताड़ो रुधिरारद्रगात्र: कर्णस्तदा रोषविवृत्तनेत्र:
nirbhidya tūrṇaṁ viviśuḥ sutīkṣṇās tākṣyatrastā bhūmim ivoragās te | śarācitāṅgo rudhirārdragātraḥ karṇas tadā roṣavivṛttanetraḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: Tras perforar, aquellas flechas de filo acerado se hundieron en él con presteza, como serpientes que, aterradas por Garuḍa, se deslizan y se esconden en la tierra. Entonces Karṇa permaneció en pie, el cuerpo erizado de flechas, los miembros empapados de sangre y los ojos abiertos de par en par por la ira.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of steadfastness under suffering: a warrior may be physically broken by weapons yet remain mentally unyielding. It also shows how anger can surge in response to injury—an inner force that can fuel courage but also risks clouding judgment, a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata’s war narrative.
Sañjaya narrates that sharp arrows have pierced Karṇa and lodged in his body. The poet uses a simile: the arrows entering him are compared to serpents rushing into the earth in fear of Garuḍa. Karṇa is depicted blood-soaked, covered with arrows, and glaring with wrath as the battle intensifies.