Shloka 27
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
उद्धृूतलाडूलमहापताक- ध्वजोत्तमांसाकुलभीषणान्तम् । गाण्डीवनिर्हादकृतप्रणाद॑ किरीडिनं प्रेक्ष्य ननाद कर्ण:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
uddhṛta-lāṅgūla-mahā-patākā-dhvajottamāṃsākula-bhīṣaṇāntam |
gāṇḍīva-nirghāda-kṛta-praṇādaṃ kirīṭinaṃ prekṣya nanāda karṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Voyant Arjuna ceint du diadème — dont le char portait l’étendard le plus éminent, avec la grande enseigne de la queue de singe dressée, flottant comme une vaste bannière ; dont l’avant paraissait terrible dans le tumulte et l’effroi ; et dont la présence retentissait du grondement, pareil au tonnerre, du Gāṇḍīva — Karṇa rugit à maintes reprises comme un lion.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial symbols—banner, bow-sound, and lion-roar—are used to project courage and unsettle opponents; ethically, it also warns that such displays can intensify ego and rivalry, accelerating the descent into violence when dharma is already strained.
Arjuna appears with his formidable chariot-banner (with the monkey emblem) and the thunderous reverberation of the Gāṇḍīva; upon seeing him, Karna responds with repeated lion-like roars, signaling challenge and the escalation toward battle.