Shloka 553
विव्यधु: कर्णमासाद्य त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरजिद्वागै: । इसी समय धृष्टद्युम्न, भीम तथा महारथी सात्यकिने भी कर्णके पास पहुँचकर उसे तीन-तीन बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
vivyadhuḥ karṇam āsādya tribhis tribhir ajidvāgaiḥ | asmin samaye dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ bhīmaś ca mahārathī sātyakiś ca api karṇasya samīpam upetya taṃ tribhis tribhir bāṇaiḥ viddhvā vyathayām āsuḥ |
Sañjaya said: Reaching Karṇa, they pierced him with three arrows each—swift as victorious speech. At that very moment, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Bhīma, and the great chariot-warrior Sātyaki also came up to Karṇa and struck him, each with three arrows. The scene underscores the relentless press of battle, where many heroes converge upon a single formidable foe, and prowess is measured by disciplined, repeated blows rather than by cruelty for its own sake.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: steadfast engagement in battle, measured skill, and coordinated effort against a powerful opponent. Ethically, it frames warfare as a domain of disciplined action and consequence, where valor is shown through resolve and technique rather than personal malice.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa is reached and wounded by multiple warriors. Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki converge upon him and each strikes him with three arrows, intensifying the confrontation around Karṇa as a central target on the battlefield.