Shloka 4
अन्धकार-रजःसंमूढे रणाङ्गणे प्रदीपप्रकाशः | Illumination of the Army in Darkness and Dust
स भीम॑ पज्चभिर्विद्ध्वा राधेय: प्रहसन्निव । पुनर्विव्याध सप्तत्या स्वर्णपुड्खै: शिलाशितै:,तब राधानन्दन कर्णने हँसते हुए-से पाँच बाण मारकर भीमसेनको घायल कर दिया। फिर शानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले सत्तर बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
sa bhīmaṁ pañcabhir viddhvā rādheyaḥ prahasan iva | punar vivyādha saptatyā svarṇapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa, son of Rādhā, as though laughing, first pierced Bhīma with five arrows. Then he struck him again with seventy arrows—gold-feathered and honed upon stone—inflicting deep wounds. The passage underscores the grim ethic of the battlefield: prowess and relentless force are displayed without tenderness, even against a famed warrior, as the war’s momentum drives combatants toward ever-escalating violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: skill and resolve are exercised to the fullest, and psychological dominance ("as if laughing") accompanies physical force. It invites reflection on how war normalizes escalating harm even among renowned heroes.
Sañjaya narrates that Karṇa first wounds Bhīma with five arrows and then follows up by striking him with seventy more arrows, described as gold-feathered and sharpened on stone, causing severe injury.