Shloka 656
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
सायकानां शतेनैव सर्वमर्मस्वताडयत् । उस समय महाबाहु अर्जुनने रणभूमिमें सौ बाणोंद्वारा, सूर्यपुत्र कर्णको उसके सम्पूर्ण मर्मस्थानोंमें चोट पहुँचायी
sāyakānāṁ śatenaiva sarva-marmasv atāḍayat |
Sañjaya said: With a hundred arrows alone, Arjuna struck Karṇa—son of the Sun—hitting him at all his vital points. The narration underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield skill, where mastery of arms is used to disable an opponent decisively amid the moral weight of fratricidal war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grave ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: extraordinary skill and focus can be used to end a threat swiftly, yet such efficiency also intensifies the moral burden of violence within a kinship war.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, in the thick of battle, shoots a concentrated volley of one hundred arrows at Karṇa, striking his vital points—portraying a decisive, high-stakes exchange between two foremost warriors.