Shloka 763
कृष्णं च पार्थ च तथा ध्वजं च पार्थनुजान् सोमकान् पातयंश्र । तदनन्तर सूर्यकुमार कर्णने दस हजार उत्तम बाणोंद्वारा वायुपुत्र भीमसेनके मर्मस्थानोंपर गहरा आघात किया। साथ ही
sañjaya uvāca | kṛṣṇaṃ ca pārthaṃ ca tathā dhvajaṃ ca pārthānujān somakān pātayaṃś ca | tadanantaraṃ sūryakumāraḥ karṇo daśa-sahasrair uttamaiḥ bāṇair vāyuputraṃ bhīmasenaṃ marma-sthāneṣu gāḍham ājaghāna | sārdhaṃ ca śrīkṛṣṇaṃ arjunaṃ ca ratha-dhvajaṃ ca, tasya kanīyasaḥ bhrātṝn somakāṃś ca nipātayituṃ prayatata ||
Sañjaya dit : Tandis qu’il faisait pleuvoir les traits, Karṇa chercha à abattre Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, l’étendard du char, les frères cadets d’Arjuna, ainsi que les Somakas. Puis Karṇa, fils du Soleil, avec dix mille flèches d’élite, porta à Bhīmasena—fils du Vent—un coup profond et ciblé, l’atteignant en ses points vitaux. Dans le même élan, il pressa l’assaut avec l’intention de renverser Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, leur drapeau de char, les jeunes Pāṇḍava et les Somakas, montrant comment, dans la fureur de la guerre, le but glisse du simple combat vers la quête implacable d’une annihilation décisive.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how war intensifies from individual duels to attempts at total incapacitation of leadership and morale-symbols (like the chariot standard). Ethically, it underscores the tension within kṣatriya-dharma: valor and skill are praised, yet the drive to annihilate—targeting vital points and key figures—reveals the harsh moral cost of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa launching a fierce barrage. He strikes Bhīma hard in vital spots with a vast volley of arrows and simultaneously tries to bring down Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, their chariot’s banner, Arjuna’s brothers, and the Somaka allies—aiming for a decisive collapse of the Pāṇḍava side.