Shloka 11
संछिन्नभिन्नध्वजिनश्व केचित् केचिच्छरैरदितभिन्नदेहा: | केचिद् विसूता विहयाश्न केचिद् वैकर्तनेनाशु कृता बभूवु:,वैकर्तन कर्णने वहाँ शीघ्र ही किन्हींकी ध्वजाके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये, किन्हींके शरीरोंको बाणोंसे पीड़ित करके विदीर्ण कर डाला, किन्हींके सारथि नष्ट कर दिये और किन्हींके घोड़े मार डाले
sañchinnabhinna-dhvajinaś ca kecit kecic charair ādita-bhinna-dehāḥ | kecid visūtā vihayāś ca kecid vaikartanenāśu kṛtā babhūvuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Vaikartana (Karna) swiftly reduced some warriors’ standards and ensigns to fragments; others he tormented with volleys of arrows, splitting their bodies. Some he left without charioteers, and others he rendered horseless. The scene portrays the ruthless efficiency of a great archer in battle—where prowess becomes destruction, and the moral weight of war is felt in the sudden undoing of men, mounts, and the symbols of martial honor.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the stark moral atmosphere of war: martial excellence can instantly dismantle not only bodies but also the supports and symbols of a warrior’s identity—banner, charioteer, and horses—highlighting the fragility of worldly status and the heavy ethical cost inherent in battlefield duty.
Sañjaya reports Karna’s rapid onslaught: he shatters some warriors’ standards, pierces and splits others with arrows, kills or removes charioteers, and slays horses—disabling chariots and throwing the opposing ranks into confusion.