Shloka 243
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
उपलभ्य रणे क्रीडेदू यथा शकुनिना शिशु: । 'ट्रोणाचार्य अभेद्य कवचसे सुरक्षित हैं। वे शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेके कारण रणक्षेत्रमें अपने विपक्षीको पाकर उसी प्रकार क्रीड़ा करते हैं, जैसे कोई बालक पक्षीके साथ खेल रहा हो
upālabhya raṇe krīḍed yathā śakunīnā śiśuḥ | droṇācāryo 'bhedya-kavacena surakṣitaḥ śīghratāpūrvakaṃ hastaṃ calayitvā raṇakṣetre svavipakṣaṃ prāpya tathā krīḍati yathā bālakaḥ pakṣiṇā saha krīḍati ||
Sañjaya said: Protected by impenetrable armour, Droṇācārya—swift of hand—finds his opponent on the battlefield and plays with him as in sport, like a little child playing with a bird. The line underscores the terrifying imbalance of power: war becomes ‘play’ for the invulnerable, while for others it is mortal peril, raising a stark ethical contrast between martial prowess and the suffering it inflicts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming protection and skill can turn lethal combat into ‘sport’ for the powerful, implicitly questioning the ethics of treating war lightly when it entails real suffering and death for others.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, shielded by seemingly impenetrable armour and striking with great speed, engages enemies on the battlefield with effortless dominance—likened to a child playing with a bird.