Shloka 54
पुनरेव च विव्याध षड्भिरष्टाभिरेव च । मर्मस्वमरविक्रान्त: सूतपुत्र॑ं तनुत्यजम्,फिर देवोपम पराक्रमी भीमने अपने शरीरकी परवा न करनेवाले सूतपुत्रको उसके मर्मस्थानोंमें छः और आठ बाण मारकर घायल कर दिया
punar eva ca vivyādha ṣaḍbhir aṣṭābhir eva ca | marmasv amaravikrāntaḥ sūtaputraṃ tanutyajam ||
Karna said: “And again he pierced him—first with six, and then with eight more arrows—striking the vital points. That hero of godlike prowess wounded the charioteer’s son, who, heedless of his own body, did not shrink from the fight.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ideal of steadfastness under danger: one fighter strikes decisively at vital points, while the other is portrayed as so committed to battle that he disregards bodily harm. Ethically, it reflects the Mahabharata’s tension between valor and the grim reality of violence—courage is praised, yet the method (targeting marmas) underscores how war pushes combatants toward lethal efficiency.
In the Drona Parva battle sequence, Bhima (described as of godlike prowess) repeatedly shoots Karna, hitting him with six and then eight arrows, specifically at vital points, thereby wounding him. Karna is characterized as ‘tanutyaja’—one who does not care for his own body—indicating his refusal to retreat despite injury.