Shloka 256
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
विव्याध परमास्त्रज्ञों भल््लै: संनतपर्वभि: | तब उत्तम अस्त्रोंके ज्ञाता कर्णने अत्यन्त कुपित हो लोहेके बने हुए और झुकी हुई गाँठवाले नौ भल्लोंसे भीमसेनको घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | vivyādha paramāstrajño bhallaiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ | tata uttamāstrāṇāṃ jñātā karṇo 'tyantaṃ kupito lohakṛtaiḥ jhukī-gaṇṭhavālaiḥ nava-bhallaiḥ bhīmasenaṃ vyadhat |
Sanjaya said: The supreme master of weapons struck with bhalla-arrows whose joints were bent. Then Karna, expert in the finest missiles, became exceedingly enraged and wounded Bhimasena with nine iron-made, knot-jointed, curved bhallas. The verse underscores how, in the fury of battle, even the most skilled warriors let anger sharpen their violence, intensifying the ethical tragedy of kin-slaying in a dharma-conflicted war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how mastery and power in war are ethically precarious: anger (krodha) can drive even a great weapons-expert to escalate harm, reflecting the Mahabharata’s recurring warning that passion can eclipse discernment (viveka) amid dharma-conflict.
Sanjaya reports that Karna, provoked and furious, strikes Bhimasena with nine iron bhalla-arrows described as curved and jointed, wounding him in the thick of the Kurukshetra battle.