Shloka 41
कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement
तत्राधिरथिभीमाभ्यां शरैर्मुक्तिर्दृढ हता: । इषुपातमतिक्रम्य पेतुरश्वनरद्धिपा:,उस युद्धस्थलमें कर्ण और भीमसेनके छोड़े हुए बाणोंसे अत्यन्त घायल हुए घोड़े, मनुष्य और हाथी बाणोंके गिरनेके स्थानको लाँधकर उससे दूर जा गिरते थे
sañjaya uvāca |
tatrādhirathibhīmābhyāṁ śaraiḥ muktir dṛḍha-hatāḥ |
iṣupātam atikramya petur aśva-nara-dvipāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di sana, dihentam dengan keras tanpa henti oleh anak panah yang dilepaskan Adhirathi (Karna) dan Bhīmasena, kuda, manusia dan gajah—tertikam dan ditundukkan—melompat melepasi kawasan tempat anak panah gugur, lalu rebah jauh di luar sana.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: prowess and fury can drive beings beyond their natural endurance, yet all embodied strength—horse, man, elephant—ultimately collapses under violence. Implicitly, it invites reflection on the cost of kṣatriya warfare and the fragility of life amid martial duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where Karṇa (Adhirathi) and Bhīmasena shower arrows. Those struck—horses, warriors, and elephants—stagger or surge past the immediate arrow-fall zone and then fall down at some distance, showing the intensity and reach of their attack.