Shloka 213
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
सेषुणा पाणिना55हय प्रहसन् दौणिरब्रवीत् । तदनन्तर शत्रुनाशक बाणोंका प्रहार करते हुए पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनको बाणयुक्त हाथसे बुलाकर अभश्वत्थामाने हँसते हुए कहा--
sa eṣuṇā pāṇinā hūya prahasan dauṇir abravīt | tad-anantaraṁ śatru-nāśaka-bāṇānāṁ prahāraṁ kurvan pāṇḍu-putram arjunaṁ bāṇa-yukta-hastena āhūya aśvatthāmā hāsan uvāca ||
Sabi ni Sañjaya: Pagkaraan, nakangiti, ang anak ni Droṇa (si Aśvatthāmā) ay kumaway at nagsalita. Kaagad pagkatapos, habang pinakakawalan niya ang sunod-sunod na palaso na pumupuksa sa kaaway, tinawag niya si Arjuna, anak ni Pāṇḍu, gamit ang kamay na may hawak na palaso; at tumatawa, hinarap niya ito—isang mapanuyang hamon sa gitna ng walang-awat na dahas ng digmaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, speech and gesture become weapons alongside arrows: laughter and beckoning can signal contempt, intimidation, or a formal challenge. Ethically, it underscores the tension between kṣatriya valor (meeting a challenge openly) and the corrosive effects of mockery and aggression that can inflame hatred and prolong violence.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, while actively shooting enemy-destroying arrows, beckons Arjuna with his hand and, smiling/laughing, begins to address him—setting up a direct confrontation and verbal provocation in the midst of the battle.