Shloka 27
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
उद्धृूतलाडूलमहापताक- ध्वजोत्तमांसाकुलभीषणान्तम् । गाण्डीवनिर्हादकृतप्रणाद॑ किरीडिनं प्रेक्ष्य ननाद कर्ण:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
uddhṛta-lāṅgūla-mahā-patākā-dhvajottamāṃsākula-bhīṣaṇāntam |
gāṇḍīva-nirghāda-kṛta-praṇādaṃ kirīṭinaṃ prekṣya nanāda karṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Al ver al Arjuna de diadema —cuyo carro llevaba el más excelso estandarte, con la gran insignia de la cola de mono alzada que ondeaba como una enorme bandera; cuyo frente parecía terrible en medio del tumulto y el espanto; y cuya presencia resonaba con la reverberación, cual trueno, del Gāṇḍīva—, Karṇa rugió una y otra vez como un león.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial symbols—banner, bow-sound, and lion-roar—are used to project courage and unsettle opponents; ethically, it also warns that such displays can intensify ego and rivalry, accelerating the descent into violence when dharma is already strained.
Arjuna appears with his formidable chariot-banner (with the monkey emblem) and the thunderous reverberation of the Gāṇḍīva; upon seeing him, Karna responds with repeated lion-like roars, signaling challenge and the escalation toward battle.