Shloka 1123
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
गाण्डीवप्रभवा: कर्ण हंसा: क्रौज्चमिवाविशन् | तत्पश्चात् अर्जुनकी भुजाओंसे छोड़े गये तथा गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए वे सुवर्णभूषित बाण कर्णके शरीरमें उसी प्रकार घुस गये, जैसे हंस क्रौंच पर्वतकी गुफाओंमें समा जाते हैं
gāṇḍīvaprabhavāḥ karṇa haṃsāḥ krauñcam ivāviśan | tatpaścāt arjunakī bhujābhyāṃ chhoḍe gatā tathā gāṇḍīva-dhanuṣaḥ chūṭitāḥ te suvarṇabhūṣitā bāṇāḥ karṇasya śarīre tasminn eva prakāreṇa praviśya jagmuḥ, yathā haṃsāḥ krauñca-parvatasya guhāsu samāyānti ||
सञ्जय उवाच— गाण्डीवप्रभवाः सुवर्णभूषिता बाणाः अर्जुनभुजैर्मुक्ता गाण्डीवधनुषश्च्युताः कर्णं क्रौञ्चगिरिगुहाः प्रविशन्त इव हंसाः, तथा तस्य शरीरे समाविशन्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, extraordinary skill and famed weapons can make violence feel effortless and inevitable; it invites reflection on the dharma-tension where a kṣatriya’s duty to fight coexists with the tragic ethical cost of harming great opponents in a fratricidal conflict.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna releasing gold-adorned arrows from the Gāṇḍīva; they pierce Karṇa’s body in a vivid simile—like swans entering the caves of Mount Krauñca—emphasizing the speed, precision, and overwhelming force of Arjuna’s attack.