Shloka 60
सृजेतां स्पर्थिनावेतौ दिव्यान्यस्त्राणि सर्वश: । वध्यमानेषु चास्त्रेषु पीडित: सूतनन्दन:
sṛjetāṃ spardhināv etau divyāny astrāṇi sarvaśaḥ | vadhyamāneṣu cāstreṣu pīḍitaḥ sūtanandanaḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : Ces deux guerriers rivaux déchaînèrent toutes les armes célestes, sans en omettre aucune. Et tandis que les traits étaient brisés et rendus inoffensifs en plein trajet, le fils du cocher (Karna) se trouva cruellement pressé : son assaut, sans cesse, était arrêté au milieu de l’échange toujours plus âpre des armes divines.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how rivalry can drive combatants to total escalation—deploying every available power—yet even extraordinary force meets resistance and counter-force. Ethically, it underscores the self-reinforcing cycle of violence in war: each side’s ‘divine’ capability becomes a means of intensifying suffering rather than resolving conflict.
Two opposing champions are exchanging celestial missiles. Their weapons are being countered and destroyed as they are launched, and in this back-and-forth Karṇa—identified as the charioteer’s son—is described as being severely pressured, his attacks repeatedly checked.