Shloka 5
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
किरणैरिव सूर्यस्य महीध्रो भरतर्षभ । कर्णचापच्युतैर्बाणै: प्राच्छाद्यत वृकोदर:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! जैसे सूर्यकी किरणोंसे पर्वत ढक जाता है, उसी प्रकार कर्णके धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाणोंद्वारा भीमसेन आच्छादित हो गये
sañjaya uvāca |
kiraṇair iva sūryasya mahīdhro bharatarṣabha |
karṇacāpacyutair bāṇaiḥ prācchādyata vṛkodaraḥ ||
Ô taureau parmi les Bharata ! De même qu’une montagne est voilée par les rayons du soleil, ainsi Vṛkodara (Bhīma) fut recouvert par les flèches lâchées de l’arc de Karṇa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, even the mightiest warriors can be overwhelmed by concentrated force; it invites reflection on the tragic cost of kṣatriya conflict, where courage and endurance persist amid destructive inevitability.
Sanjaya describes Karna’s intense arrow-shower: Bhima (Vṛkodara) is so densely struck that he appears ‘covered,’ compared to a mountain hidden by the sun’s rays—an image emphasizing Karna’s dominance in that moment.