Shloka 53
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
द्रौपदेयास्त्रिसप्तत्या युयुधानस्तु सप्तभि: । भीमसेनश्षतुःषष्टया सहदेवश्व सप्तभि:,तदनन्तर धृष्टद्युम्नने कर्णको दस बाणोंसे बींध डाला। फिर द्रौपदीके पुत्रोंने तिहत्तर, सात्यकिने सात, भीमसेनने चौंसठ, सहदेवने सात, नकुलने तीस, शतानीकने सात, शिखण्डीने दस और वीर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने सौ बाण कर्णको मारे
sañjaya uvāca |
draupadeyās tri-saptatyā yuyudhānas tu saptabhiḥ |
bhīmasenaś catuḥṣaṣṭyā sahadevaś ca saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Os filhos de Draupadī atingiram Karṇa com setenta e três flechas, e Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) com sete. Bhīmasena o traspassou com sessenta e quatro, e Sahadeva com sete. Assim, no aperto da batalha, o lado dos Pāṇḍava concentrou sua força sobre Karṇa para conter seu ímpeto por meio de uma investida coordenada e medida — um ato enquadrado no dever do kṣatriya, sob a ética implacável da guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within war, action is portrayed as governed by role-based duty (kṣatriya-dharma): force is applied with purpose—checking an opponent’s threat—rather than as mere cruelty, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s tension between necessity in battle and moral restraint.
Sañjaya reports that multiple Pāṇḍava warriors—Draupadī’s sons, Sātyaki, Bhīma, and Sahadeva—shoot specified numbers of arrows at Karṇa, indicating a coordinated assault to wound and contain him during the Kurukṣetra battle.