Shloka 12
Śalya’s Objection to Sārathya and Duryodhana’s Conciliation (शल्यमन्यु-प्रशमनम् / Sārathyāṅgīkāra)
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय हेमपृष्ठं दुरासदम् । कर्ण विव्याध सप्तत्या सारथिं च त्रिभि: शरै:
athānyad dhanur ādāya hemapṛṣṭhaṃ durāsadam | karṇaṃ vivyādha saptatyā sārathiṃ ca tribhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
तत्पश्चात् नकुल ने सोने की पीठवाला, दुर्जय दूसरा धनुष हाथ में लेकर कर्ण को सत्तर बाणों से और उसके सारथि को तीन बाणों से घायल कर दिया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark battlefield form: steadfastness, technical mastery, and decisive action. It also invites reflection on the ethical tension of war—skill and duty operating within a violent arena where even attendants like charioteers become targets.
In Sañjaya’s report of the battle, Nakula takes up another formidable, gold-backed bow and shoots Karṇa with seventy arrows, then wounds Karṇa’s charioteer with three arrows, intensifying the exchange between the warriors.