Mahabharata 4.54.31 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 54, Shloka 31
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
अथाशुकारी चतुरो हयांश्न विव्याध कर्णो निशितै: किरीटिन: । त्रिभिश्व यन्तारममृष्यमाणो विव्याध तूर्ण त्रिभिरस्य केतुम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
athāśukārī caturo hayān sa vivyādha karṇo niśitaiḥ kirīṭinaḥ |
tribhiś ca yantāram amṛṣyamāṇo vivyādha tūrṇaṃ tribhir asya ketum ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian Karṇa, memperlihatkan kecekapan memanah pantas, menikam empat ekor kuda Arjuna yang bermahkota dengan anak panah tajam. Tidak sanggup menahan sengitnya pertarungan itu, dia memanah sais dengan tiga batang panah, dan serta-merta dengan tiga lagi dia menembusi panji Arjuna pula.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where skill and resolve are tested through strategic targeting of a warrior’s supports (horses, charioteer, banner). It also reflects how intolerance of challenge (amṛṣyamāṇaḥ) can drive escalation, reminding readers that prowess without restraint intensifies conflict.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Karṇa’s rapid archery: he wounds Arjuna’s four horses, then strikes the charioteer with three arrows, and immediately pierces Arjuna’s banner with three more—an aggressive tactical sequence meant to destabilize Arjuna’s chariot and assert dominance.
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