Shloka 21
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
द्विषन्मध्यमवस्कन्द्य राधेयो धनुरुत्तमम् विधुन्वान: शितैर्बाणै: शिरांस्युन्मथ्य पातयत्,राधापुत्र कर्ण क्रमशः शत्रुसेनाके मध्यभागमें पहुँचकर अपने उत्तम धनुषको कम्पित करता हुआ पैने बाणोंसे शत्रुओंके सिर काट-काटकर गिराने लगा इति श्रीमहाभारते कर्णपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे एकविंशो5ध्याय:
Sañjaya uvāca: dviṣan-madhyam avaskandya rādhēyo dhanur uttamam vidhunvānaḥ śitair bāṇaiḥ śirāṃsy unmathya pātayat.
Sañjaya said: Rādheya (Karna), forcing his way into the very midst of the hostile ranks, shook his excellent bow and, with razor-sharp arrows, struck off the enemies’ heads, making them fall. The scene underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where prowess and fury dominate, even as the larger question of righteous conduct in war remains in the background of the epic’s moral horizon.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s tension between martial excellence and moral scrutiny: extraordinary skill and fearlessness can drive the battlefield narrative, yet the Mahābhārata continually invites reflection on how violence, even when aligned with kṣatriya duty, carries grave ethical weight and consequences.
Sañjaya describes Karna pushing into the center of the opposing formation, brandishing his bow, and using sharp arrows to sever and fell the heads of enemy warriors—an image of intense, close-quarters dominance in the ‘sankula-yuddha’ (confused, crowded battle).