Shloka 216
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
सायकानां चतुःषष्ट्या क्षिप्रकारी महायशा: । तब शीघ्रता करनेवाले महायशस्वी भीमसेनने भी हँसकर चौंसठ बाणोंद्वारा रणभूमिमें कर्णपर आक्रमण किया
sāyakānāṁ catuḥṣaṣṭyā kṣiprakārī mahāyaśāḥ | tato bhīmaseno 'pi hasan catuḥṣaṣṭibhir bāṇair raṇabhūmau karṇam abhyākrāmat ||
सायकानां चतुःषष्ट्या क्षिप्रकारी महायशाः । स्मयमानो रणाङ्गणे कर्णं भीमसेनोऽभ्यविध्यत् ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the Mahābhārata’s war narrative, ethical emphasis often lies in disciplined kṣatriya conduct: courage, skill, and steadfastness under pressure. Bhīma’s composed, even smiling assault suggests controlled resolve—valor expressed through mastery rather than uncontrolled fury.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, famed for swift action, advances against Karṇa and strikes/assails him with sixty-four arrows on the battlefield, intensifying the duel-like exchanges among leading warriors.