Shloka 15
तत्रान्तरे सुमहत् सूतपुत्र- श्रक्रे युद्धे सोमकान् सम्प्रमृदूनन् रथाश्वमातड्रगणान् जघान प्रच्छादयामास शरैर्दिशश्ष
tatrāntare sumahat sūtaputraḥ śakre yuddhe somakān sampramṛdūnan rathāśvamātaṅgagaṇān jaghāna pracchādayāmāsa śaraiḥ diśaḥ
サンジャヤは言った。その間、御者の子カルナは大いなる戦を起こし、ソーマカ軍を圧し潰した。彼は無数の戦車・馬・象隊を討ち、矢をもって四方そのものを覆い隠すかのようであった。この光景は、クシャトリヤの戦の苛烈な掟を映す――武勇と容赦なき力は休むことなく示され、その代償として命と秩序の損耗が積み重なってゆく。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya-dharma in wartime: martial excellence and unwavering aggression are praised as heroic, yet the imagery of the quarters being ‘covered’ by arrows also hints at how war overwhelms the world, eclipsing normal order and compassion.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa engages the Somakas in a massive fight, killing many of their charioteers, horses, and elephant troops, and firing so many arrows that the battlefield’s directions appear obscured.