Shloka 12
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
इन्द्राशनिसमस्पर्श्महेन्द्रसमतेजसम् । अर्दयिष्याम्यहं पार्थमुल्काभिरिव कुज्जरम्,यद्यपि अर्जुन महेन्द्रके समान तेजस्वी है, तो भी आज उसे उल्काओं (मशालों) द्वारा गजराजकी भाँति इन्द्रके वज़्की तरह कठोर स्पर्शवाले अपने बाणोंसे पीड़ित कर दूँगा
indrāśani-samasparśaṁ mahendra-sama-tejasam | ardayiṣyāmy ahaṁ pārtham ulkābhir iva kuñjaram ||
Karna berkata: “Walaupun Partha (Arjuna) bersinar dengan keperkasaan setara Mahendra (Indra), hari ini aku akan menghancurkan dan menyeksanya dengan anak panahku—keras sentuhannya seperti vajra, petir Indra—sebagaimana gajah perkasa dihentam meteor yang menyala.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial pride and rivalry can intensify violence: even when acknowledging an opponent’s greatness, a warrior may still choose aggression for fame or vengeance. Ethically, it invites reflection on how admiration and hostility can coexist, and how the kṣatriya code of valor can conflict with restraint and dharma.
Karna declares his intent to attack Arjuna fiercely. He praises Arjuna’s Indra-like radiance yet vows to afflict him with arrows as hard as Indra’s thunderbolt, using a vivid simile of striking an elephant with blazing meteors/firebrands.