Shloka 26
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय सज्यं कृत्वा च सूतज: । विव्याध समरे भीम॑ भीमकर्मा महारथ:,तत्पश्चात् भयंकर कर्म करनेवाले महारथी सूतपुत्र कर्णने दूसरा धनुष लेकर उसपर प्रत्यंचा चढ़ायी और समरभूमिमें भीमसेनको घायल कर दिया
athānyad dhanur ādāya sajyaṃ kṛtvā ca sūtajaḥ | vivyādha samare bhīmaṃ bhīmakarmā mahārathaḥ ||
सञ्जय उवाच—अथ सूतजः अन्यद् धनुरादाय सज्यं कृत्वा, समरे भीमं विव्याध; भीमकर्मा महारथः।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim efficiency of warrior skill in wartime: excellence in arms can become fearsome when applied in a conflict where duty and rivalry compel violence. It invites reflection on how dharma in war (kṣatriya-duty) operates within a morally heavy arena of harm and consequence.
Sañjaya reports that Karna, after taking up a different bow and stringing it, shoots and wounds Bhīma on the battlefield, emphasizing Karna’s status as a mahāratha and his terrifying effectiveness in combat.