Shloka 366
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
शरै: संछादयामास सूतपुत्रस्य पश्यत: । राजन! उसी प्रकार युद्धमें शोभा पानेवाले अश्वत्थामाको धूृष्टद्युम्नने भी कर्णके देखते- देखते बाणोंसे ढक दिया
śaraiḥ saṃchādayāmāsa sūtaputrasya paśyataḥ | rājan! usī prakāra yuddheṃ śobhā pānevāle aśvatthāmā ko dhṛṣṭadyumnane bhī karṇake dekhate-dekhate bāṇoṃse ḍhak diyā |
Sañjaya said: “O King, even as Karṇa looked on, he was covered over with arrows. In the same manner, the glory-seeking Aśvatthāmā, before Karṇa’s very eyes, also blanketed Dhṛṣṭadyumna with a shower of shafts.” The verse underscores how, in the frenzy of battle, prowess is displayed through overwhelming force, while the onlooking warrior’s presence heightens the moral tension of witnessing allies and foes alike being struck down.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where victory is pursued through decisive, overwhelming action, yet it also draws attention to the moral weight of ‘seeing’—a warrior (and by extension the listener-king) must confront the reality of violence and its consequences, not merely the rhetoric of glory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa is being (or has been) covered by a dense volley of arrows in full view, and similarly Aśvatthāmā, seeking renown in battle, showers Dhṛṣṭadyumna with arrows right before Karṇa’s eyes.