Mahabharata 7.141.87 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 141, Shloka 87
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
हस्त्यड्रान्यथ कर्णाय प्राहिणोत् पाण्डुनन्दन: । चक्राण्यश्वांस्तथा चान्यद् यद् यत् पश्यति भूतले
hasty-aḍrān atha karṇāya prāhiṇot pāṇḍu-nandanaḥ | cakrāṇy aśvāṁs tathā cānyad yad yat paśyati bhūtale ||
सञ्जय उवाच—अथ पाण्डुनन्दनः कर्णाय महागजस्कन्धं प्राहिणोत्। चक्राण्यश्वशवांश्चैव तथा चान्यद् यद्यत् पश्यति भूतले, तत् क्रोधेनादाय कर्णाय चिक्षेप; किन्तु यद्यदस्य क्षिप्तं, तत्सर्वं कर्णः शितैः शरैः छित्त्वा न्यवारयत्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts uncontrolled rage—using whatever objects lie at hand as weapons—with disciplined mastery, as Karṇa repeatedly neutralizes incoming projectiles. Ethically, it highlights how inner control and trained skill can prevail over impulsive violence, even amid the chaos of war.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma (the Pāṇḍava) hurling an elephant-mass and then battlefield debris like chariot wheels and horses at Karṇa. Karṇa counters by slicing each thrown object apart with sharp arrows, demonstrating superior precision under pressure.
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