Shloka 52
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
तमापततन्तं वेगेन वैकर्तनमजिह्ागै:
tam āpatatantaṁ vegena vaikartanam ajihāgaiḥ
Sañjaya berkata: Ketika Vaikartana (Karna) menerjang ke hadapan dengan kelajuan yang dahsyat, dia disambut dan dihalang oleh peluru panah yang bersifat ular—seperti ular—yang dilontarkan dalam amarah pertempuran. Ini memperlihatkan bahawa dalam perang, bahkan yang terperkasa pun akan berhadapan dengan daya lawan serta helah dan siasat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a recurring Mahābhārata ethic of warfare: prowess alone does not guarantee victory; every advance invites resistance through skill, counter-weapons, and circumstance, reminding the listener of the limits of human power amid fate and strategy.
Sañjaya narrates that Karna (Vaikartana) is charging forward at great speed, and in response he is confronted by snake-like missiles—suggesting a fierce exchange of specialized weapons as the battle intensifies.