Shloka 10
Bhīṣma–Karṇa Saṃvāda on the Śaraśayyā (भीष्म–कर्ण संवादः शरशय्यायाम्)
अन्ये च रथिन: शूरा भीमसेनधनंजयौ,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी
sañjaya uvāca | anye ca rathinaḥ śūrā bhīmasenadhanañjayau | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarcchat kaḍukabarhiṇavājitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Other valiant chariot-warriors too assailed Bhīmasena and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), each striking them with three arrows—shafts fitted with hard, peacock-feathered fletching. Thereafter he pierced Suśarmā and Kṛpācārya as well with three arrows each. O best of kings, then on the battlefield he inflicted special pain with three peacock-feathered arrows apiece upon Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa, Jayadratha the king of Sindhu, Citraseṇa, Vikarṇa, Kṛtavarmā, Durmiṣaṇa, and the great chariot-warriors Vinda and Anuvinda—each in turn. The passage underscores the relentless, measured violence of war: prowess is displayed through disciplined, repeated strikes, while the ethical tension of harming renowned warriors remains implicit in the narration.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined martial conduct in war: repeated, measured strikes against multiple renowned opponents. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between kṣatriya duty (fighting with skill and resolve) and the grave human cost of inflicting pain even upon celebrated warriors.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of battlefield attacks: Bhīma and Arjuna are each hit with three arrows, and then several prominent Kaurava-aligned warriors—Suśarmā, Kṛpa, Bhagadatta, Jayadratha, Citraseṇa, Vikarṇa, Kṛtavarmā, Durmiṣaṇa, Vinda, and Anuvinda—are each pierced with three peacock-feathered arrows, causing notable distress.