Shloka 12
कर्णश्न॒ दशभिर्बाणै: पुत्रश्न तव सप्तभि: । दशभिर्वषसेनश्व॒ सौबलश्लापि सप्तभि:
Karṇaś ca daśabhir bāṇaiḥ putraś ca tava saptabhiḥ | daśabhir Vṛṣasenaś ca Saubalaś cāpi saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Karṇa was struck with ten arrows, and your son with seven. Vṛṣasena too was pierced with ten, and the Saubala with seven. Thus the battle’s fury is measured in counted shafts, showing how, in war, prowess and fate alike are tallied through wounds rather than words.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark ethic of battlefield life: actions are immediately answered by consequences. Martial skill, duty, and destiny manifest concretely as wounds; the narrative invites reflection on how quickly power and pride are reduced to suffering in war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the ongoing exchange of missiles: Karṇa and Vṛṣasena are hit by ten arrows each, while Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son and the Saubala are hit by seven each—an update emphasizing the intensity and precision of the combat.