Shloka 17
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
तेषां निनदतां चैव शस्त्रवर्ष च मुज्चताम् । बहूनाधिरथिरवीर: प्रममाथ्ेषुभि: परान्,जोर-जोरसे गर्जते तथा अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी वर्षा करते हुए उन शत्रुसैनिकोंमेंसे बहुतोंको वीर कर्णने अपने बाणोंसे मथ डाला
teṣāṁ ninadatāṁ caiva śastravarṣaṁ ca muñcatām | bahūn ādhirathir vīraḥ pramamātha eṣubhiḥ parān ||
Sañjaya said: As those warriors roared aloud and poured down a rain of weapons, the heroic Karṇa—son of Adhiratha—crushed many of the foes with his arrows. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle, where prowess and resolve drive men to relentless violence, even as the moral weight of slaughter hangs over the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield reality that martial skill and determination can overwhelm opponents, while implicitly reminding the listener that war—though pursued as kṣatriya-duty—carries severe ethical gravity due to the mass destruction it entails.
Amid loud battle-cries and a shower of weapons from the opposing fighters, Karṇa responds with superior archery, striking down many enemies with his arrows; Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra as part of the unfolding combat.