Shloka 39
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
ततो व्यायच्छतामस्त्रै: पृथक् पृथगजिद्ाागै: । मृदुपूर्व तु राधेयो दृढपूर्व तु पाण्डव:,तदनन्तर वे दोनों वीर एक-दूसरेपर पृथक्-पृथक् सीधे जानेवाले बाणोंका प्रहार करने लगे। राधानन्दन कर्ण मृदुतापूर्वक बाण चलाता था और पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेन कठोरतापूर्वक
tato vyāyacchatām astraiḥ pṛthak pṛthag ajihmagaiḥ | mṛdu-pūrvaṁ tu rādheyo dṛḍha-pūrvaṁ tu pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the two warriors began to strike one another with weapons—each sending straight-flying arrows, one after another. Karṇa, the son of Rādhā, loosed his shafts with measured restraint, while the Pāṇḍava (Bhīmasena) replied with firm, forceful intensity—showing how, in the same battlefield duty, temperaments and intentions can differ even as both remain committed to combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within the same duty of battle, conduct can vary: one may act with restraint (mṛdu), another with force (dṛḍha). The verse highlights ethical nuance—intensity and self-control are both modes of action, and the narrative invites reflection on intention and temperament in righteous or obligatory conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa and Bhīma exchange volleys of straight-flying arrows. Karṇa’s shooting is described as comparatively restrained, while Bhīma’s response is described as more forceful and hard-hitting.