Shloka 22
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
तथा सप्तदशं वेगादष्टादशमथापि वा । बहूनि भीमश्रिच्छेद कर्णस्यैवं धनूंषि हि,इतना ही नहीं, भीमने सत्रहवें, अठारहवें तथा और भी बहुत-से कर्णके धनुषोंको वेगपूर्वक काट दिया
tathā saptadaśaṁ vegād aṣṭādaśam athāpi vā | bahūni bhīmaś chittvā karṇasyaivaṁ dhanūṁṣi hi ||
तथा सप्तदशं वेगादष्टादशमथापि वा । बहूनि भीमः संक्रुद्धः कर्णस्य धनूंषि हि ॥ समचिच्छेद वेगेन ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark battlefield form: steadfastness and competence amid repeated setbacks. Ethically, it points to endurance and resolve—one’s instruments may be broken again and again, yet duty and determination drive continued engagement.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, striking with great speed, repeatedly severs Karṇa’s bows—specifically the seventeenth and eighteenth, and many others—showing Bhīma’s dominance in that exchange and the intensity of their duel.