Shloka 18
कवचं च ध्वजं चैव धनु: शक्ति्हया: शरा: । शरै: कृत्ता महेष्वास यतमानस्य संयुगे
kavacaṃ ca dhvajaṃ caiva dhanuḥ śaktiṃ hayāḥ śarāḥ | śaraiḥ kṛttā maheṣvāsa yatamānasya saṃyuge ||
संजय बोले—महाधनुर्धर! युद्ध में मैं यत्नपूर्वक जूझ रहा था; पर सारी सेना के देखते-देखते कर्ण ने अपने बाणों से मेरे कवच और ध्वज, धनुष, शक्ति, घोड़े और बाण—सबको काटकर टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिया।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between human effort (yatna) and overpowering force on the battlefield: even a determined warrior can be undone when confronted by superior skill. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—courage and persistence amid destructive consequences.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment in which Karṇa’s arrows visibly dismantle an opponent’s key martial supports—armour, standard, weapons, horses, and ammunition—signaling Karṇa’s dominance and the rapid reversal of a combatant’s capacity to fight.