Shloka 56
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
स वराहध्वजस्तूर्ण गार्धपत्रानजिद्दगान् । क्रुद्धाशीविषसंकाशान् कर्मारपरिमार्जितान्
sa varāhadhvajas tūrṇaṃ gārdhrapatrān ajiddagān | kruddhāśīviṣasaṃkāśān karmārāparimārjitān
Sañjaya said: Then the warrior bearing the boar-emblem swiftly (let fly) arrows feathered with vulture-plumes—unconquered in their flight—terrible like enraged venomous serpents, and keenly honed on the whetstone. The scene underscores how, in the fury of battle, skill and preparation turn into lethal force, pressing the listener to reflect on the moral cost of martial excellence when dharma itself is under strain.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined preparation and technical mastery (well-honed arrows) can become instruments of destruction in war; it invites reflection on the ethical burden of power and skill when deployed amid a conflict where dharma is contested.
Sañjaya describes a boar-bannered warrior rapidly releasing arrows fletched with vulture feathers, portrayed as irresistible and as terrifying as angry venomous snakes, emphasizing the intensity and lethal momentum of the battle.