Shloka 35
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
ततो मुहूर्तात् कर्णस्य बाणेनैकेन वीर्यवान्
tato muhūrtāt karṇasya bāṇenaikena vīryavān
Sañjaya dit : Puis, en un bref instant, le vaillant fut abattu par une seule flèche de Karṇa—image de ce que, dans l’économie brutale de la guerre, prouesse et destin peuvent basculer en un moment, et qu’un seul trait peut trancher ce que des armées n’ont su trancher.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line underscores the fragility of embodied life in war: even the mighty can fall in a moment. Ethically, it highlights the grave weight of martial action—skill and valor operate within a field where consequences are immediate and irreversible.
Sañjaya reports that, after a short interval, a valiant warrior is brought down by Karṇa with a single arrow, emphasizing Karṇa’s lethal effectiveness and the swift reversals typical of the Kurukṣetra battle.