Shloka 226
दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat
निशितैरिषुभि: कर्ण पञ्चाशद्धिः समार्पयत् महाराज! इससे कुपित हुए धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरने कर्णपर पचास पैने बाणोंका प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca | niśitair iṣubhiḥ karṇa pañcāśadbhiḥ samārpayat | mahārāja! tataḥ kupito dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ karṇam prati pañcāśat tīkṣṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ prāharat |
Disse Sañjaya: Ó rei, ele atingiu Karṇa com cinquenta flechas afiadas. Enfurecido com isso, Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira retaliou contra Karṇa, cobrindo-o com cinquenta dardos agudos. Essa troca revela a sombria reciprocidade da guerra: a ira responde à ferida, e até o justo é arrastado para uma violência medida pelas exigências do combate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly anger can overtake even a dharmic character in the heat of war, turning conflict into reciprocal escalation; it implicitly warns that righteousness is hardest to preserve amid injury and provocation.
In the Karna Parva battle scene, Karna is struck with fifty sharp arrows; Yudhishthira, angered, responds by striking Karna with fifty keen arrows in return.