Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
शरास्त्रवृष्ट्या निहतो महात्मा प्रादुश्षकारातिमनुष्यकर्म । प्राच्छादयत् कर्णरथं पृषत्कै- लॉकानिमान् सूर्य इवांशुजालै:
śarāstravṛṣṭyā nihato mahātmā prāduśṣakārātimanuṣyakarma | prācchādayat karṇarathaṁ pṛṣatkaiḥ lokān imān sūrya ivāṁśujālaiḥ ||
ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า—เมื่อถูกห่าศรโจมตี วีรบุรุษผู้มีจิตยิ่งใหญ่ ผู้มีวีรกรรมเกินกว่ามนุษย์ทั่วไป ก็ใช้ศรของตนคลุมรถศึกของกรรณะไว้ ดุจพระอาทิตย์แผ่ข่ายรัศมีปกคลุมโลกทั้งหลาย
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse underscores that true martial excellence is disciplined, purposeful action: overwhelming force is portrayed as controlled skill that decisively restrains an opponent, likened to the sun’s orderly spread of rays—power expressed with direction rather than chaos.
A great warrior, after being struck by a shower of arrows, displays superhuman prowess and responds by blanketing Karṇa’s chariot with his own arrows, visually overwhelming it the way the sun’s rays fill and cover the world.