Shloka 1133
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
भीमसेनादपासेधत् सूतपुत्रं धनंजय: । इस प्रकार धनंजयने गाण्डीव धनुषसे छोड़े गये रोषभरे सर्पोंके समान बाणोंद्वारा सूतपुत्र कर्णको भीमसेनसे दूर हटा दिया
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmasenād apāsedhat sūtaputraṃ dhanañjayaḥ | evaṃ dhanañjayena gāṇḍīva-dhanuṣaḥ pramuktaiḥ roṣa-bharaiḥ sarpa-sadṛśaiḥ bāṇaiḥ sūtaputraḥ karṇo bhīmasenāt dūraṃ nirākṛtaḥ |
Sanjaya said: Arjuna drove away Karna, the son of a charioteer, from Bhimasena. Thus, with arrows released from the Gandiva—fierce like enraged serpents—Dhananjaya forced Karna back and kept him at a distance from Bhima, upholding the immediate battlefield duty of protecting an ally amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the battlefield setting, dharma appears as immediate responsibility: Arjuna acts as a protector of his ally Bhima, using skill and force to prevent a lethal engagement from turning against his side. The verse highlights disciplined intervention—power applied to uphold one’s duty within the moral constraints of war.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna (Dhananjaya) shoots fierce arrows from the Gandiva, likened to angry serpents, and thereby drives Karna away from Bhima, creating distance and relieving Bhima from Karna’s direct pressure in combat.