Shloka 5
अविचिन्त्याथ तान् बाणान् कर्णेनास्तान्वृकोदर: । रणे विव्याध राधेयं शतेनानतपर्वणाम्,कर्णके चलाये हुए उन बाणोंकी कुछ भी परवा न करके भीमसेनने रणभूमिमें झुकी हुई गाँठवाले सौ बाणोंद्वारा राधापुत्रको घायल कर दिया
avicintyātha tān bāṇān karṇenāstān vṛkodaraḥ | raṇe vivyādha rādheyaṁ śatenānataparvaṇām ||
Sañjaya said: Disregarding the arrows shot by Karṇa, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) in the thick of battle pierced Rādheya (Karṇa) with a hundred arrows whose joints were bent—an act that shows Bhīma’s fierce resolve and refusal to be deterred amid the brutal ethics of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under pressure: a warrior who does not lose resolve when attacked can still act decisively. It also reflects the harsh, duty-bound ethos of battlefield conduct, where endurance and counter-strike are treated as part of kṣatriya engagement.
Sañjaya narrates that Bhīma, ignoring the arrows launched by Karṇa, retaliates in the fight and strikes Karṇa with a hundred bent-jointed arrows, wounding him amid the ongoing combat.