Shloka 40
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
ततो द्वात्रिंशता भल्लैरनिशितैस्तिग्मतेजनै: । विव्याध समरे कर्ण भीमसेन: प्रतापवान्,तत्पश्चात् अच्छी तरह तेज किये हुए बत्तीस तीखे भल्लोंसे प्रतापी भीमसेनने समरांगणमें कर्णको भारी चोट पहुँचायी
tato dvātriṃśatā bhallair aniśitaiḥ tigmateganaiḥ | vivyādha samare karṇaṃ bhīmasenaḥ pratāpavān ||
Then, in the thick of battle, the mighty Bhīmasena pierced Karṇa with thirty-two razor-edged bhalla arrows, keenly sharpened and blazing in power—an act that underscores the relentless reciprocity of violence on the battlefield, where prowess and endurance are tested without respite and ethical restraint is narrowed to the warrior-code of direct combat.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: in war, valor is expressed through direct, skillful engagement, and outcomes hinge on endurance and martial excellence. It also implicitly reflects how conflict escalates through reciprocal injury, narrowing moral choice to duty within the rules of combat.
Bhīmasena, displaying great prowess, strikes Karṇa in battle with thirty-two sharp bhalla arrows, inflicting significant wounds and intensifying their confrontation within the larger Kurukṣetra war.