Shloka 23
त॑ तथा नवभिर्बाणैराजघान स्तनान्तरे । भरतश्रेष्ठ! राधापुत्र कर्णने पाँच-पाँच बाणोंसे उन सबको घायल कर दिया। फिर सात्यकिका ध्वज और धनुष काटकर उनकी छातीमें नौ बाणोंका प्रहार किया ।। भीमसेनं ततः क्रुद्धो विव्याध त्रिंशता शरै:
taṁ tathā navabhir bāṇair ājaghāna stanāntare | bharataśreṣṭha! rādheyaḥ karṇaḥ pañca-pañca-bāṇaiḥ tān sarvān vyathayitvā, tataḥ sātyakeḥ dhvajaṁ dhanuś ca chittvā tasya vakṣasi navabhir bāṇaiḥ samājaghāna || bhīmasenaṁ tataḥ kruddho vivyādha triṁśatā śaraiḥ |
Sañjaya dit : Ô le meilleur des Bhārata, Karṇa, fils de Rādhā, blessa d’abord tous ses adversaires par des volées de cinq flèches chacun. Puis, après avoir tranché l’étendard et l’arc de Sātyaki, il le frappa à la poitrine de neuf flèches. Ensuite, dans sa colère, il perça Bhīmasena de trente traits.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, technical prowess and anger can rapidly intensify violence. It implicitly invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty (fighting as ordained) versus the ethical gravity of deliberate harm—showing that even ‘duty-bound’ action carries moral weight when driven by wrath.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa wounds multiple opponents with repeated volleys, then disables Sātyaki by cutting his banner and bow and striking his chest with nine arrows, and finally—angered—pierces Bhīma with thirty arrows.