Shloka 20
स शक्रचापप्रतिमेन धन््वना भूशायतेनाधिरथि: शरान् सृजन् | बभौ रणे दीप्तमरीचिमण्डलो यथांशुमाली परिवेषवांस्तथा
sa śakracāpapratimena dhanvanā bhūśāyatenādhirathiḥ śarān sṛjan | babhau raṇe dīptamarīcimaṇḍalo yathāṃśumālī pariveṣavāṃs tathā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan busur perkasa yang menyerupai pelangi Indra, putra Adhiratha—Karṇa—meski terbaring di tanah, tetap melepaskan rentetan anak panah. Di medan laga ia tampak bersinar laksana matahari, dilingkari lingkar cahaya dengan sinar yang menyala-nyala.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war: extraordinary valor and radiance can coexist with a morally fraught setting. Karna’s splendor is portrayed as sunlike, suggesting that personal excellence and steadfastness may persist even when the larger enterprise (battle) is ethically complex and shadowed by fate.
Sañjaya reports that Karna, though brought down to the ground, continues to fight fiercely—releasing showers of arrows with a bow likened to Indra’s rainbow. His presence on the battlefield appears dazzling, compared to the sun surrounded by a luminous halo.