Shloka 43
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
चिच्छेद समरे वीर: क्षिप्रहस्तो दृढायुध: । रथादनवरूढस्य तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्
sañjaya uvāca |
chiccheda samare vīraḥ kṣiprahasto dṛḍhāyudhaḥ |
rathād anavarūḍhasya tad adbhutam ivābhavat, rājendra |
Sañjaya dit : Ce héros—prompt de la main et ferme dans ses armes—le trancha au cœur du combat. Ô le meilleur des rois, avant même que son adversaire ne pût descendre du char, il lui coupa bouclier et épée ; et cela parut comme une merveille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and speed in warfare can produce ‘adbhuta’ (astonishment), while implicitly reminding the listener that such prowess, though admired in kṣatriya culture, operates within the grave ethical burden of battlefield violence.
Sañjaya reports that a swift-handed, well-armed hero (contextually Aśvatthāman) cuts down Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s defensive gear—his shield and sword—so quickly that it happens before Dhṛṣṭadyumna can even get down from his chariot, an act described as astonishing.