Shloka 49
यह कर्ण महाथधनुर्धर, बुद्धिमान् और दृढ़तापूर्वक पराक्रम प्रकट करनेवाला है। यह पाण्डवोंकी सेनाओंमें जो श्रेष्ठ क्षत्रिय वीर हैं, उनका विनाश कर रहा है ।। किरन्त: शरवर्षाणि महान्ति दृढ्धन्विन: । न शवनुवन्त्यवस्थातुं पीड्यमाना: शरार्चिषा,इसके बाणोंकी आगसे संतप्त हो बाणोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षा करनेवाले सुदृढ़ धनुर्धर वीर भी युद्धभूमिमें ठहर नहीं पाते हैं
karṇaḥ mahā-dhanurdharaḥ buddhimān dṛḍhatayā parākramaṁ prakaṭayati; sa pāṇḍavānāṁ senāsu ye śreṣṭhāḥ kṣatriya-vīrāḥ, tān vināśayati. kirantaḥ śaravarṣāṇi mahānti dṛḍha-dhanvinaḥ; na śaknuvanty avasthātuṁ pīḍyamānāḥ śarārcīṣā.
Vāyu said: “Karna—mighty with the bow, keen in counsel, and steadfast in the display of valor—now brings destruction upon the foremost Kshatriya heroes within the Pandava host. Even powerful archers, pouring forth great showers of arrows, cannot hold their ground on the battlefield when scorched and oppressed by the fiery brilliance of his shafts.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how concentrated skill and steadfast resolve in war can overwhelm even strong opponents; ethically, it underscores the severe consequences of martial power when directed toward destruction, reminding readers that Kshatriya valor carries grave responsibility.
Vāyudeva describes Karna’s dominance in battle: he is cutting down the foremost warriors among the Pandava forces, and his arrows—likened to fire—drive even formidable archers from their positions.