Shloka 33
अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle
अथ कणंस्त्रिमस्त्रेण प्रतिहत्यार्जुन: स्मयन् । दिशं खं चैव भूमिं च प्रावृणोच्छरवृष्टिभि:,तब अर्जुनने मुसकराते हुए अपने अस्त्रसे कर्णके अस्त्रको नष्ट करके बाणोंकी वर्षद्वारा आकाश, दिशा और पृथ्वीको आच्छादित कर दिया
atha karṇam astrim astreṇa pratihatya arjunaḥ smayan | diśaṃ khaṃ caiva bhūmiṃ ca prāvṛṇoc charavṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Arjuna, smiling, countered Karṇa’s missile with his own weapon; and with a rain of arrows he veiled the directions, the sky, and the earth—displaying mastery in battle while intensifying the fearful momentum of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined mastery and mental composure in crisis: Arjuna’s calm smile while neutralizing an incoming astra suggests steadiness and trained competence, though it is expressed within the harsh, ethically complex arena of war.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna countering Karṇa’s launched weapon with his own astra. After repelling it, Arjuna releases such a dense volley of arrows that the sky, the quarters, and the earth appear covered—signaling a surge in intensity in their duel.