Shloka 25
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
ततः कर्णो भृशं क्रुद्धो भीम॑ं नवभिरायसै:
tataḥ karṇo bhṛśaṃ kruddho bhīmaṃ navabhir āyasaiḥ
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa, inflamed with fierce anger, struck Bhīma with nine iron-shafted missiles—an act that intensifies the brutal momentum of battle, where wrath drives warriors to ever harsher measures and tests the boundaries of restraint amid righteous war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) escalates violence and clouds discernment even in a dharma-framed battlefield; it implicitly warns that inner restraint is as crucial as martial skill, since wrath can push action beyond measured duty.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, overcome by intense anger, attacks Bhīma with nine iron weapons/missiles, marking a sharp intensification in their direct combat during the Kurukṣetra war.