Shloka 6
Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ
Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa
तथैव कर्णनिर्मुक्ता: शरा बर्हिणवासस: । छादयाज्चक्रिरे वीर शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,इसी प्रकार कर्णके छोड़े हुए मयूरपंखवाले सैकड़ों और हजारों बाणोंने वीर भीमसेनको आच्छादित कर दिया
tathaiva karṇanirmuktāḥ śarā barhiṇavāsasaḥ | chādayāṃś cakrire vīra śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «De même, les traits décochés par Karṇa—empennés de plumes de paon—tombèrent par centaines puis par milliers, couvrant d’un manteau serré le héros Bhīmasena.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising reality of dharma-yuddha as experienced on the field: skill and resolve manifest as relentless action, and a warrior’s steadiness is measured under overwhelming pressure rather than in comfort.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa unleashing a massive volley of peacock-feathered arrows, so numerous that they seem to blanket the opposing hero—understood here as Bhīmasena—signaling the ferocity and momentum of the encounter.