Shloka 213
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
सेषुणा पाणिना55हय प्रहसन् दौणिरब्रवीत् । तदनन्तर शत्रुनाशक बाणोंका प्रहार करते हुए पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनको बाणयुक्त हाथसे बुलाकर अभश्वत्थामाने हँसते हुए कहा--
sa eṣuṇā pāṇinā hūya prahasan dauṇir abravīt | tad-anantaraṁ śatru-nāśaka-bāṇānāṁ prahāraṁ kurvan pāṇḍu-putram arjunaṁ bāṇa-yukta-hastena āhūya aśvatthāmā hāsan uvāca ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, sambil tersenyum, putera Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā) memberi isyarat dengan tangannya lalu berkata. Sejurus selepas itu, ketika melepaskan hujan anak panah pemusnah musuh tanpa henti, dia memanggil Arjuna, putera Pāṇḍu, dengan tangan yang bersenjatakan panah, dan sambil ketawa dia menegurnya—menjadikan pertemuan itu suatu cabaran mengejek di tengah keganasan perang yang menguji batas dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, speech and gesture become weapons alongside arrows: laughter and beckoning can signal contempt, intimidation, or a formal challenge. Ethically, it underscores the tension between kṣatriya valor (meeting a challenge openly) and the corrosive effects of mockery and aggression that can inflame hatred and prolong violence.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, while actively shooting enemy-destroying arrows, beckons Arjuna with his hand and, smiling/laughing, begins to address him—setting up a direct confrontation and verbal provocation in the midst of the battle.