Shloka 29
तां शक्तिपाषाणपर श्र धानां प्रासासिवज्ञाशनिमुद्गराणाम् । वृष्टिं विशालां ज्वलितां पतन््तीं कर्ण: शरौघैर्न शशाक हन्तुम्
tāṁ śakti-pāṣāṇa-paraśu-dhānāṁ prāsa-asi-vajra-aśani-mudgarāṇām | vṛṣṭiṁ viśālāṁ jvalitāṁ patantīṁ karṇaḥ śaraughair na śaśāka hantum ||
サンジャヤは言った。「槍、岩、斧、投槍、剣、雷霆のごとき投射物、稲妻のごとき矢、そして棍棒——それらから成る広大で燃えさかる武器の豪雨が、轟然と降り注いだ。だがカルナは、矢を奔流のごとく放っても、それを滅ぼすことも食い止めることもできなかった。この光景は、戦の狂熱の中では、ただの武勇が運命に駆られた圧倒的な猛襲の前に挫け得ること、そして暴力が一人の戦士の統御を超えて増殖することを示している。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of individual prowess in the face of an overwhelming, blazing onslaught: even a famed archer like Karṇa cannot always counter what descends with irresistible force. Ethically, it points to how war’s momentum can exceed personal control, reminding readers that reliance on sheer martial skill is fragile when violence escalates beyond measure.
Sañjaya narrates a moment in the battle where a massive, fiery shower of diverse weapons falls upon the field. Karṇa attempts to neutralize it with volleys of arrows, but he is unable to destroy or stop that descending barrage.