कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्रने पर्वतोंको विदीर्ण किया था, उसी प्रकार अर्जुनने महान् वेगशाली वज़तुल्य नाराचोंद्वारा अश्वत्थामारूपी महान् शैलको पुन: वेधना आरम्भ किया ।।
yathā vajradhara indraḥ parvatān vidārya, tathā arjuno mahāvegair vajratulyair nārācaiḥ aśvatthāmānam iva mahāśailaṃ punaḥ vedhanaṃ ārabdhavān. tam ācāryasutaḥ kruddhaḥ sāśvayantāram āśugaiḥ yuyutsur āgamat yoddhuṃ; pārthas tān acchinac charān.
ສັນຊະຍະເວົ້າວ່າ: ເຊັ່ນທີ່ອິນທຣະຜູ້ຖືວັດຊະຣະເຄີຍຜ່າພູໃຫ້ແຕກ, ອາຣະຈຸນກໍໄດ້ເລີ່ມຈອກທະລຸ ອັດສະວັດຖາມາ ຜູ້ຢືນດັ່ງຜາຫີນໃຫຍ່ ດ້ວຍລູກສອນເຫຼັກອັນໄວ ດັ່ງວັດຊະຣະ. ດໂຣນະບຸດຜູ້ໂກດແຄ້ນ ໄດ້ພຸ້ນເຂົ້າມາດ້ວຍລູກສອນອັນວ່ອງໄວ ປາຖະນາຈະຮົບກັບອາຣະຈຸນ ແລະສາຣະທີ ພຣະກຣິດສະນະ; ແຕ່ປາຣຖະໄດ້ຕັດລົງທຸກດອກທີ່ລາວຍິງມາ.
संजय उवाच
The verse contrasts rage-driven aggression with disciplined mastery: Aśvatthāmā attacks in anger, while Arjuna responds with controlled precision, cutting down every incoming shaft. Ethically, it highlights how skill and steadiness can restrain the destructive momentum of wrath in the midst of dharma-yuddha.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna piercing Aśvatthāmā with powerful iron arrows, likening Arjuna’s force to Indra splitting mountains. Aśvatthāmā, enraged, advances to fight Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, firing swift arrows, but Arjuna severs all of them mid-flight.