Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तां शस्त्रवृष्टिं बहुधा कर्णश्छित्त्वा शितै: शरै: । अपोवाहास्त्रवीर्येण द्रुमं भड़क्त्वेव मारुत:,जैसे प्रचण्ड वायु वृक्षको तोड़कर गिरा देती है, उसी प्रकार कर्ण अपने तीखे बाणोंसे शत्रुओंकी उस शस्त्रवर्षोको बहुधा छिलन्न-भिन्न करके अपने अस्त्रबलसे दूर हटा दिया इति श्रीमहाभारते कर्णपर्वणि प्रथमे युद्धदिवसे त्रिंशो5ध्याय:

Transliteration

tāṁ śastravṛṣṭiṁ bahudhā karṇaś chittvā śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | apovāhāstravīryeṇa drumaṁ bhaṅktveva mārutaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Karṇa, tranchant maintes fois cette pluie d’armes en morceaux de ses flèches acérées, la balaya par la puissance de ses traits—comme un vent furieux brise un arbre et le jette à terre.

Word by Word

ताम्that (her/it)

शस्त्र-वृष्टिम्shower of weapons

बहुधाin many ways / repeatedly

कर्णःKarna

छित्त्वाhaving cut / having shattered

शितैःwith sharp

शरैःarrows

अपोवाहdrove away / swept away

अस्त्र-वीर्येणby the power of (his) weapons

द्रुमम्a tree

भङ्क्त्वाhaving broken

इवlike / as

मारुतःwind

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karna

śara (arrows)

śastra (weapons)

astra (missiles/weapon-science)

māruta (wind)

druma (tree)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In the battlefield ethic of the epic, survival and protection of one’s side depend on disciplined skill (śaurya guided by training). The verse frames power not as mere aggression but as the capacity to neutralize harm efficiently—turning an overwhelming attack into something ineffective through mastery of weapons.

What is happening in the narrative?

An enemy unleashes a dense ‘rain’ of weapons. Karṇa counters by slicing that barrage apart with sharp arrows and, through the force of his astras, drives it away—compared to a fierce wind that breaks a tree and throws it down.