Shloka 16
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
शिखण्डी तु ततः कर्ण विचरन्तमभीतवत् । भीष्महन्ता महाराज वारयामास पत्रिभि:,महाराज! तदनन्तर भीष्महन्ता शिखण्डीने निर्भय-से विचरते हुए कर्णको अपने बाणोंके प्रहारसे रोका
śikhaṇḍī tu tataḥ karṇa vicarantam abhītavat | bhīṣmahantā mahārāja vārayāmāsa patribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, wahai Raja, Śikhaṇḍī—pembunuh Bhīṣma—menyekat Karṇa yang bergerak tanpa gentar, dengan menghujaninya dengan rentetan anak panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where valor is continually tested by resistance; even fearless advance must contend with an opponent whose role is shaped by prior enmity and destiny (Śikhaṇḍī as ‘Bhīṣma-hantā’), reminding that prowess operates within larger forces of circumstance and consequence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍī confronts Karṇa and halts his fearless movement by showering him with arrows, momentarily checking Karṇa’s progress in the ongoing battle.