Shloka 25
भीमसेन–कर्णयुद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Bhīmasena–Karṇa Engagement
कर्ण च दशभिर्विद्ध्वा वृषसेनं त्रिभिस्तथा । शल्यस्य सशरं चापं मुष्टी चिच्छेद वीर्यवान्,फिर पराक्रमी अर्जुनने दस बाणोंसे कर्णको और तीन बाणोंद्वारा वृषसेनको घायल करके राजा शल्यके बाणसहित धनुषको मुट्ठी पकड़नेकी जगहसे काट डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇaṃ ca daśabhir viddhvā vṛṣasenaṃ tribhis tathā |
śalyasya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭiṃ ciccheda vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty Arjuna pierced Karṇa with ten arrows and Vṛṣasena with three; then, with decisive skill, he cut down King Śalya’s bow—still fitted with an arrow—at the grip. The scene underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield dharma: disabling an opponent’s weapon to turn the tide, even amid the moral weight of kin-slaying and the escalating necessity of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: victory is pursued through disciplined, targeted action—often by disabling an enemy’s weapon rather than merely trading blows—while the ethical burden of violence remains implicit in the narrative.
In the heat of battle, Arjuna shoots Karṇa with ten arrows and Vṛṣasena with three, then severs Śalya’s bow at the grip even as it is readied with an arrow, thereby neutralizing Śalya’s immediate ability to fight.