Shloka 1
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
/ भीकम (2 अमान सप्ताधिकशततमो< ध्याय: कौरव-सेनाके क्षेमधूर्ति, वीरधन्वा, निरमित्र तथा व्याप्रदत्तका वध और दुर्मुख एवं विकर्णकी पराजय संजय उवाच बृहत्क्षत्रमथायान्तं कैकेयं दृढविक्रमम् । क्षेमधूर्तिरमहाराज विव्याधोरसि मार्गणै:
sañjaya uvāca | bṛhatkṣatram athāyāntaṃ kaikeyyaṃ dṛḍhavikramam | kṣemadhūrtir mahārāja vivyādhorasi mārgaṇaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, as the mighty warrior Bṛhatkṣatra of the Kaikeya land advanced with unshakable valor, Kṣemadhūrti pierced him in the chest with arrows.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield expression of kṣatriya-dharma: steadfast courage in advancing, and the swift, consequential nature of martial action. Ethically, it frames valor and duty within war, while also underscoring the tragic immediacy of violence.
As Bṛhatkṣatra, identified as a Kaikeya warrior, advances powerfully in battle, Kṣemadhūrti counters him by shooting arrows that strike his chest.