Shloka 29
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
दृष्टवा संहारकल्पं तमुद्धूतं सैन्यसागरम्,वारयामास तत् सैन्यं समन्ताद् भरतर्षभ | भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रलयकालके समान उस सैन्यसागरको उमड़ा हुआ देख संग्राममें पराजित न होनेवाले बलवान, शीघ्रकारी और महान् शक्तिशाली कर्णने आपके पुत्रोंको प्रसन्न करनेकी इच्छासे बाणसमूहकी वर्षा करके सब ओरसे शत्रुओंकी उस सेनाको रोक दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
dṛṣṭvā saṃhārakalpaṃ tam uddhūtaṃ sainyasāgaram |
vārayāmāsa tat sainyaṃ samantād bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya berkata: Melihat lautan bala tentara itu menggelora bagaikan saat pralaya, Karna menahan pasukan itu dari segala penjuru, wahai banteng di antara Bharata. Tak terkalahkan di medan laga, cekatan dan mahakuat, demi menyenangkan putra-putramu ia menghujani musuh dengan rentetan panah dan menahan laju mereka.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣātra-dharma expressed as disciplined restraint amid chaos: even when war swells toward pralaya-like destruction, a warrior’s steadiness and strategic action can prevent immediate collapse. It also shows how personal loyalty and the desire to support one’s side motivate decisive action, raising ethical tension between duty to allies and the broader devastation of war.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying surge of troops like an ocean rising for destruction. Karṇa responds by surrounding resistance—checking the enemy from all directions—primarily through intense volleys of arrows, thereby protecting and heartening Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas) in the battle.