Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 28
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
स चापि वैकर्तनमर्दयित्वा साश्व॑ं ससूतं सरथं पृषत्कै: । तमाववर्ष प्रसभं किरीटी पितामहं द्रोणकृपौ च दृष्टवा
sa cāpi vaikartanam ardayitvā sāśvaṃ sasūtaṃ sarathaṃ pṛṣatkaiḥ | tam āvavarṣa prasabhaṃ kirīṭī pitāmahaṃ droṇakṛpau ca dṛṣṭvā ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Arjuna yang bermahkota turut menekan Vaikartana (Karṇa) dengan anak panah—bersama kuda, kusir, dan kereta perangnya sekali. Lalu Arjuna mula menghujaninya tanpa belas, meskipun pandangannya sempat tertuju kepada datuk agung Bhīṣma, serta kepada Droṇa dan Kṛpa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between decisive martial duty and moral awareness: Arjuna acts with uncompromising force against a chief opponent, yet his glance toward Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa signals the ethical weight of fighting revered elders within a righteous-war framework.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna (Kirīṭī) has already struck and distressed Karṇa (Vaikartana), along with his chariot-team and charioteer, and then intensifies the assault by raining arrows upon him, while noticing Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa nearby.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.