Shloka 283
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
चतुर्दशभिरत्युग्रैनराचैरविचारयन् । तब कर्णने कुछ विचार न करके अत्यन्त भयंकर एवं सुवर्णभूषित चौदह नाराचोंसे भीमसेनको भी घायल कर दिया
caturdaśabhir atyugrair narācair avicārayan |
Sañjaya said: Without pausing to reflect, Karṇa struck Bhīmasena with fourteen exceedingly fierce narāca arrows, wounding him in the midst of battle—an act that underscores how, in war, unchecked wrath and haste can eclipse deliberation and restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension in warfare: when one acts 'avicārayan' (without reflection), skill and power can become instruments of impulsive harm. It implicitly values deliberation and self-restraint even amid kṣatriya combat.
During the Drona Parva battle, Karṇa, acting without hesitation, shoots fourteen fierce narāca arrows at Bhīmasena and wounds him, intensifying the duel and the ferocity of the ongoing conflict.