Shloka 243
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
प्राहिणोत् सूतपुत्राय भीमसेनश्षतुर्दश । राजन! इसी अवसरमें भीमसेनने सूतपुत्रपर गीधकी पाँखवाले चौदह नाराच चलाये
prāhiṇot sūtaputrāya bhīmasenaś caturdaśa | rājan! asyām avasare bhīmasenena sūtaputre gṛdhrikā-pakṣa-vālinaś caturdaśa nārācāḥ pracālitāḥ |
सञ्जय उवाच— राजन्, तस्मिन्नेव काले भीमसेनः सूतपुत्राय गृध्रपक्षसमच्छदान् चतुर्दश नाराचान् प्राहिणोत्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, action is driven by allegiance and perceived duty, yet it also reflects the ethical tension of escalating violence—skill and resolve are praised, while the broader cost of conflict remains implicit.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, seizing the moment, shoots fourteen powerful nārāca arrows—described as vulture-wing-feathered—at Karṇa, intensifying their confrontation on the battlefield.