Shloka 19
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत कर्णपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक उतन्नीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,संस्पृशान: शरांस्तीक्ष्णांस्तूणादाशीविषोपमान् । मयैवैकेन युध्यस्व तरयम्बकेनान्धको यथा “अब तुम अपने तरकससे विषधर सर्पोके समान तीखे बाण लेकर जैसे महादेवजीके साथ अन्धकासुरने संग्राम किया था, उसी प्रकार केवल मेरे साथ युद्ध करो'
saṃjaya uvāca | saṃspṛśānaḥ śarāṃs tīkṣṇāṃs tūṇād āśīviṣopamān | mayaivaikena yudhyasva trayambakena andhako yathā ||
Sanjaya said: “Taking from your quiver sharp arrows, like venomous serpents, fight now with me alone—just as Andhaka once fought with Tryambaka (Śiva) in battle.” The utterance frames the combat as a direct, personal duel, invoking a mythic precedent to intensify the warrior’s resolve and the moral weight of single combat amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ideal of facing danger directly: a call to single combat framed through a mythic analogy, emphasizing courage, personal accountability in battle, and the heightened ethical seriousness of a one-on-one challenge.
Sanjaya reports a warrior’s taunt/challenge: the opponent is urged to draw sharp arrows from the quiver and fight him alone, likening the impending duel to the famed combat between Andhaka and Śiva (Tryambaka).