Shloka 12
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
जातरूपमयै: पुडखी: शरांश्वानतपर्वण: । तैलथौतांश्व नाराचान् निर्मुक्तान् पन्नगानिव,'सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे युक्त झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाण तथा तेलमें धोये हुए नाराच केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोके समान दिखायी दे रहे हैं
jātarūpamayaiḥ puṅkhaiḥ śarān śvānata-parvaṇaḥ | tailadhautāṃś ca nārācān nirmuktān pannagān iva ||
സ്വർണ്ണമയ പിറകുകളോടുകൂടിയ, വളഞ്ഞ സന്ധികളുള്ള അമ്പുകളും എണ്ണയിൽ കഴുകിയതുപോലെ മിനുക്കമുള്ള നാരാചങ്ങളും—വിട്ടയുടൻ തോൽ ഊരിയിറങ്ങിയ പാമ്പുകളെപ്പോലെ തോന്നുന്നു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction, but its imagery implicitly warns that brilliance of arms and craftsmanship, when driven by anger and rivalry, turns into living terror on the battlefield—highlighting the tragic moral inversion where human agency animates destruction.
Sañjaya is vividly reporting the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing volleys of arrows—gold-feathered and oil-polished nārācas—flying forth and appearing like snakes shedding their skins, emphasizing speed, menace, and the density of missile warfare.