Shloka 28
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
तान् पाण्डुपृत्रश्चिच्छेद नवभिर्नतपर्वभि: । वसुषेणेन निर्मुक्तान्ू नव राजन् महाशरान्,राजन! वसुषेण (कर्ण)-के छोड़े हुए नौ विशाल बाणोंको पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेनने झुकी हुई गाँठवाले नौ बाणोंद्वारा काट गिराया
tān pāṇḍuputraś ciccheda navabhir nataparvabhiḥ | vasuṣeṇena nirmuktān nava rājan mahāśarān ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, putera Pāṇḍu (Bhīmasena) menebas jatuh sembilan batang anak panah besar yang dilepaskan oleh Vasuṣeṇa (Karṇa) dengan sembilan anak panah yang bersendi bengkok. Adegan ini menonjolkan timbal balik pertempuran yang tidak henti-henti—kemahiran menjawab kemahiran—hingga pengekangan diri ditenggelamkan oleh tuntutan perang dan kelangsungan hidup.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid adharma-saturated war, the epic highlights disciplined competence and alertness: a warrior must meet danger with presence of mind and proportionate response. The verse also reflects how violence tends to invite immediate counter-violence, tightening the cycle of escalation.
Karna (Vasuṣeṇa) shoots nine powerful arrows. Bhīma, identified as the son of Pāṇḍu, counters instantly by severing those nine incoming shafts with nine of his own arrows described as nataparvan (bent-jointed), causing Karna’s missiles to fall.