Shloka 5
तस्यार्धचन्द्रैस्त्रिभिरुच्चकर्त प्रहस्य बाहू च शिरश्न कर्ण: । स स्यन्दनादू् गामगमद् गतासु: परश्ववैः शाल इवावरुग्ण:
tasyārdhacandrais tribhir uccakarta prahasya bāhū ca śiraś ca karṇaḥ | sa syandanād bhūmim agamad gatāsuḥ paraśvabhiḥ śāla iva avarugṇaḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。カルナは笑い、三本の半月形の矢で敵の両腕と首を断ち切った。命を失ったその者は戦車から地に落ち、斧で伐られたシャーラ樹のごとく倒れ伏した。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma) where skill and resolve decide life and death instantly; it also highlights impermanence—life can be cut off as abruptly as a tree felled by axes—inviting reflection on the moral cost of war even when fought as duty.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, laughing in confidence, uses three crescent-headed arrows to cut off his opponent’s two arms and head; the slain warrior then drops lifeless from the chariot to the ground, compared to a śāla tree chopped down.