Shloka 41
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
अयल्नेनैव तं॑ कर्ण: शरैर्भूशमवाकिरत् । भीमसेनं महाबाहुं सैन्धवस्य वधैषिणम्,उधर कर्ण जयद्रथके वधकी इच्छावाले महाबाहु भीमसेनपर अनायास ही बाणोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षा करने लगा
ayalnenaiva taṁ karṇaḥ śarair bhūśam avākirat | bhīmasenaṁ mahābāhuṁ saindhavasya vadhaiṣiṇam ||
Karna, with effortless ease, showered Bhimasena with a dense rain of arrows. Bhima—the mighty-armed warrior—was intent on slaying Saindhava (Jayadratha); and Karna’s counterattack seeks to check that vow-driven fury within the brutal ethics of battlefield duty.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior must meet an opponent’s vow-driven advance with resolute resistance. Personal vengeance and pledged intent (vadha-eṣiṇ) intensify conflict, yet duty compels counteraction without hesitation.
Bhima is pressing forward with the intention of killing Jayadratha (Saindhava). Karna intervenes and, seemingly without strain, overwhelms Bhima with a heavy barrage of arrows to halt or divert his advance.