Shloka 30
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
वैदूर्यदण्डांश्व शुभान् पतितानड्कुशान् भुवि । बद्धा: सादिभुजाग्रेषु सुवर्णविकृता: कशा:
sañjaya uvāca
vaidūryadaṇḍāṁś ca śubhān patitān aṅkuśān bhuvi |
baddhāḥ sādibhuja-agreṣu suvarṇa-vikṛtāḥ kaśāḥ ||
वैदूर्यदण्डांश्च शुभान् पतितानङ्कुशान् भुवि । बद्धाः सादिभुजाग्रेषु सुवर्णविकृताः कशाः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power and control: even the tools meant to direct and restrain (goads and whips) are shattered in war, suggesting how violence dissolves order and mastery.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: ornate goads with gem-studded handles and gold-made whips that had been in riders’ hands are now cut off and lying on the ground, indicating intense fighting and the fall of charioteers/horsemen.