Shloka 1173
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
नाराचो< भ्यपतत् कर्ण तूर्ण गाण्डीवचोदित: । गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटा हुआ वह नाराच आकाशमार्गसे तुरंत ही कर्णकी ओर चला, मानो गरुड़ किसी उत्तम सर्पको पकड़नेके लिये जा रहे हों
sañjaya uvāca |
nārāco 'bhyapatat karṇa tūṇaṁ gāṇḍīvacoditaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Urged on by the Gāṇḍīva bow, a nārāca arrow sped swiftly toward Karṇa—like Garuḍa rushing through the sky to seize a mighty serpent. The image underscores the relentless momentum of martial resolve in battle, where skill and intent drive consequences with near-inevitable force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intention and capability, once set in motion, carry swift and weighty consequences. In the ethical atmosphere of the Mahābhārata’s war, prowess is inseparable from responsibility: a warrior’s resolve, like a released arrow, becomes an irreversible act with moral and narrative repercussions.
Sañjaya describes a powerful nārāca arrow, released and driven by the force of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva, flying rapidly toward Karṇa. The accompanying simile (as in the received gloss) compares its swift, predatory certainty to Garuḍa swooping to seize a serpent.