Shloka 13
अन्धकार-रजःसंमूढे रणाङ्गणे प्रदीपप्रकाशः | Illumination of the Army in Darkness and Dust
तब सूतपुत्रके वधकी इच्छावाले पराक्रमी पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेनने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एक हजार बाण चलाये ।। तानिषूनिषुभि: कर्णो वारयित्वा महामृथे । कवचं भीमसेनस्य पाटयामास सायकै:,परंतु कर्णने उस महासमरमें अपने बाणोंद्वारा उन सभी बाणोंका निवारण करके भीमसेनके कवचको बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ sūtaputrake vadhakīcchāvān parākramaḥ pāṇḍuputro bhīmaseno mahotkaṇṭhayā sahasram iṣūn mumoca | tān iṣūn iṣubhiḥ karṇo vārayitvā mahāraṇe kavacaṃ bhīmasenasya pāṭayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīmasena, the valiant son of Pāṇḍu, burning with the desire to slay Karṇa, loosed a thousand arrows in great haste. In that mighty clash, Karṇa checked those shafts with his own, and with his missiles tore Bhīma’s armor to pieces—showing how, in war, fierce intent meets counter-skill, and prowess rather than mere fury decides the moment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: intense resolve (the desire to slay an enemy) must be matched by disciplined skill and presence of mind. Bhīma’s sheer volume of attack is met by Karṇa’s precise counter, suggesting that in kṣatriya warfare, mastery and steadiness often prevail over haste.
Bhīma, eager to kill Karṇa, rapidly shoots a thousand arrows. Karṇa neutralizes them with his own arrows and then tears apart Bhīma’s armor with his missiles, turning defense into a decisive counterstrike.