Shloka 29
तां शक्तिपाषाणपर श्र धानां प्रासासिवज्ञाशनिमुद्गराणाम् । वृष्टिं विशालां ज्वलितां पतन््तीं कर्ण: शरौघैर्न शशाक हन्तुम्
tāṁ śakti-pāṣāṇa-paraśu-dhānāṁ prāsa-asi-vajra-aśani-mudgarāṇām | vṛṣṭiṁ viśālāṁ jvalitāṁ patantīṁ karṇaḥ śaraughair na śaśāka hantum ||
Sañjaya said: That vast, blazing downpour of weapons—spears, stones, axes, lances, swords, thunderbolt-like missiles, lightning-like shafts, and maces—came hurtling down; yet Karṇa, even with torrents of arrows, could not destroy or check it. The scene underscores how, in the frenzy of war, sheer prowess may fail before an overwhelming, fate-driven onslaught, and how violence multiplies beyond any single warrior’s control.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of individual prowess in the face of an overwhelming, blazing onslaught: even a famed archer like Karṇa cannot always counter what descends with irresistible force. Ethically, it points to how war’s momentum can exceed personal control, reminding readers that reliance on sheer martial skill is fragile when violence escalates beyond measure.
Sañjaya narrates a moment in the battle where a massive, fiery shower of diverse weapons falls upon the field. Karṇa attempts to neutralize it with volleys of arrows, but he is unable to destroy or stop that descending barrage.