Shloka 696

Devanagari script

शरैर्बहुभिरत्युग्रै: प्रहसन्निव भारत । भारत! उस समय क्रोधमें भरे हुए कर्णने हँसते हुए-से वेगपूर्वक बहुत-से अत्यन्त भयंकर बाण मारकर भीमसेनकी चमकीली ढाल नष्ट कर दी

Transliteration

śarair bahubhir atyugraiḥ prahasann iva bhārata | krodhabhareṇa karṇena vegapūrvakaṃ bahūn atyantabhayānakān bāṇān pramuñcatā bhīmasenasya dīptāṃ cārma-śarmāṃ nāśitām ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, then Karṇa, his wrath fully aroused, seemed to laugh as he swiftly loosed many exceedingly fierce and terrifying arrows, shattering Bhīmasena’s gleaming shield. The scene underscores how anger and martial pride intensify violence on the battlefield, even as each warrior strives to uphold his chosen duty as a fighter.

Word by Word

शरैःwith arrows

बहुभिःwith many

अति-उग्रैःwith exceedingly fierce (ones)

प्रहसन्laughing

इवas if

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra addressed as Bhārata)

Karṇa

Bhīmasena

arrows (śara/bāṇa)

shield (carman/ḍhāla)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how krodha (anger) can sharpen aggression and spectacle in war—Karṇa ‘seeming to laugh’ while unleashing dreadful arrows. Ethically, it invites reflection on the tension between kṣatriya-duty (fighting skillfully) and the inner discipline needed to prevent anger from becoming the true driver of action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, enraged, rapidly fires many fierce arrows and breaks Bhīmasena’s shining shield, marking a moment of escalation in their battlefield exchange.