Shloka 29
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
दृष्टवा संहारकल्पं तमुद्धूतं सैन्यसागरम्,वारयामास तत् सैन्यं समन्ताद् भरतर्षभ | भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रलयकालके समान उस सैन्यसागरको उमड़ा हुआ देख संग्राममें पराजित न होनेवाले बलवान, शीघ्रकारी और महान् शक्तिशाली कर्णने आपके पुत्रोंको प्रसन्न करनेकी इच्छासे बाणसमूहकी वर्षा करके सब ओरसे शत्रुओंकी उस सेनाको रोक दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
dṛṣṭvā saṃhārakalpaṃ tam uddhūtaṃ sainyasāgaram |
vārayāmāsa tat sainyaṃ samantād bharatarṣabha ||
サンジャヤは言った。あの軍勢が兵の海のごとくうねり、世界滅尽の時のように押し寄せるのを見て、カルナは四方からその軍を押しとどめた、バラタ族の雄よ。迅速にして大いなる力を備え、汝の子らを喜ばせんとの決意のもと、矢の群れを雨のごとく降らせて敵軍の進撃を阻んだ。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣātra-dharma expressed as disciplined restraint amid chaos: even when war swells toward pralaya-like destruction, a warrior’s steadiness and strategic action can prevent immediate collapse. It also shows how personal loyalty and the desire to support one’s side motivate decisive action, raising ethical tension between duty to allies and the broader devastation of war.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying surge of troops like an ocean rising for destruction. Karṇa responds by surrounding resistance—checking the enemy from all directions—primarily through intense volleys of arrows, thereby protecting and heartening Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (the Kauravas) in the battle.