Shloka 30
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
तमायान्तं महेष्वासं सात्यकिं युद्धदुर्मदम् । राधेयो दशभिर्बाणै: प्रत्यविध्यदजिद्वागैः
tam āyāntaṁ maheṣvāsaṁ sātyakiṁ yuddha-durmadam | rādhyo daśabhir bāṇaiḥ pratyavidhyad ajidvāgaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As the great archer Sātyaki advanced—fierce with the intoxication of battle—Rādheya (Karna) struck him in return with ten arrows, swift and unerring in their flight. The scene underscores how, in the heat of war, prowess and retaliation escalate, testing restraint and the warrior’s duty amid surging wrath.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how combat can inflame the mind ('yuddha-durmada'), making retaliation immediate and forceful. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya-dharma (meeting an oncoming foe) and the inner discipline needed to prevent rage from becoming the true driver of action.
Sātyaki advances as a formidable archer, and Karṇa (Rādheya) responds by countering him with ten arrows, striking him as he comes forward—an exchange that intensifies their battlefield confrontation.