Shloka 116

Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena

Devanagari script

कर्ण विव्याध सप्तत्या शरै: संनतपर्वभि: । महारथी धृष्टद्युम्नने उस कटे हुए धनुषको फेंककर दूसरा धनुष और विषधर सर्पके समान विषैले बाण हाथमें लेकर झुकी हुई गाँठवाले सत्तर बाणोंसे कर्णको बींध डाला

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

karṇaṃ vivyādha saptatyā śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ |

mahārathī dhṛṣṭadyumno 'sau chinnaṃ dhanuḥ kṣiptvā dvitīyaṃ dhanuḥ samādāya viṣadhara-sarpa-sadṛśān viṣailān bāṇān pāṇau gṛhītvā saṃnataparvabhiḥ saptatyā śaraiḥ karṇaṃ bibheda ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Dhrishtadyumna, sang maharathi, setelah membuang busur yang telah tertebas, segera mengambil busur lain dan menggenggam anak panah berbisa laksana ular beracun. Dengan tujuh puluh anak panah yang beruas bengkok, dia menikam Karna.”

Word by Word

कर्णम्Karna (as object)

विव्याधpierced

सप्तत्याwith seventy

शरैःwith arrows

संनतपर्वभिःhaving bent/curved joints (i.e., knotted)

महारथीthe great chariot-warrior

धृष्टद्युम्नःDhrishtadyumna

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Karna

Dhrishtadyumna

bow (dhanuḥ)

arrows (śara/bāṇa)

poison/venom (viṣa)

serpent (sarpa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield resilience and presence of mind: even after losing a weapon, a warrior must regain composure and act decisively. At the same time, the imagery of venomous arrows evokes the ethical weight of war—how quickly conflict can intensify toward more lethal means, pressing the listener to reflect on dharma under extreme conditions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Dhrishtadyumna’s bow is cut; he throws it away, takes up another bow, and immediately counters by shooting Karna with seventy bent-jointed arrows, wounding him severely.