Shloka 18
कवचं च ध्वजं चैव धनु: शक्ति्हया: शरा: । शरै: कृत्ता महेष्वास यतमानस्य संयुगे
kavacaṃ ca dhvajaṃ caiva dhanuḥ śaktiṃ hayāḥ śarāḥ | śaraiḥ kṛttā maheṣvāsa yatamānasya saṃyuge ||
Санджая сказал: «О великий лучник! Когда я, напрягая все силы, бился в гуще сражения, Карна — на глазах у всего войска — своими стрелами изрубил в куски мои доспехи и знамя, мой лук, копьё, коней и даже мои стрелы, разрезав всё на части».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between human effort (yatna) and overpowering force on the battlefield: even a determined warrior can be undone when confronted by superior skill. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—courage and persistence amid destructive consequences.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment in which Karṇa’s arrows visibly dismantle an opponent’s key martial supports—armour, standard, weapons, horses, and ammunition—signaling Karṇa’s dominance and the rapid reversal of a combatant’s capacity to fight.