Shloka 11
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
अन्तराच्छिद्यमानानां पुड्खानां व्यतिशीर्यताम् | शलभानामिवाकाशे प्रचार: सम्प्रदृश्यताम्,आज बीचसे कटकर इधर-उधर बिखर जानेवाले पंखयुक्त बाणोंका आकाशमें फतिंगोंकी भाँति उड़ना और गिरना देखो
antarāc chidyamānānāṁ puṅkhānāṁ vyatiśīryatām | śalabhānām ivākāśe pracāraḥ sampradṛśyatām ||
Karna berkata: “Lihatlah—batang-batang anak panah yang berbulu itu, apabila dipukul dan terpotong di tengah lintasan, berpecah dan berselerak; dan serpihannya berpusing, terbang, lalu jatuh, bagaikan kawanan belalang di langit.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily conveys the kṣatriya-warrior ethos: prowess is displayed through vivid, disciplined martial action. Ethically, it reflects how battlefield skill and confidence are asserted to inspire allies and intimidate opponents, while also underscoring the destructive, fragmenting nature of combat.
Karna points to the battlefield spectacle of arrows being intercepted and cut in mid-flight, their feathered pieces scattering and moving through the sky like a swarm of locusts—an image meant to highlight the intensity of the exchange of missiles and the fighters’ skill.