Shloka 54
अभ्यवर्षच्छरै: कर्ण: पर्जन्य इव वृष्टिमान् उसके सारे घोड़ोंको मारकर और रथके सैकड़ों टुकड़े करके कर्णने वर्षा करनेवाले मेघकी भाँति बाणोंकी वृष्टि आरम्भ कर दी ।। ५३ $ ।। न चास्यासीदनिर्भिन्न गात्रे द्यडुगुलमन्तरम्
sañjaya uvāca | abhyavarṣac charaiḥ karṇaḥ parjanya iva vṛṣṭimān | na cāsyāsīd anirbhinnaṃ gātre dvy-aṅgulam antaram ||
Sañjaya berkata: Karna menumpahkan hujan anak panah, laksana awan sarat hujan. Serangannya begitu tak kenal jeda hingga pada tubuh sang kesatria tak tersisa ruang selebar dua jari pun yang tidak tertembus—gambaran laju perang yang kejam, ketika keperkasaan dan amarah menenggelamkan kendali serta welas asih.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying efficiency of martial skill when driven to extremes: in war, valor can become sheer devastation. Ethically, it invites reflection on how dharma in battle (kṣātra-dharma) can slide into relentless harm, and how poetic praise of prowess coexists with the tragedy of violence.
Sanjaya describes Karna unleashing an overwhelming barrage of arrows, compared to a rain-cloud pouring down. The attack is so dense that the opponent’s body is depicted as having no two-finger-wide space left without being struck.