Shloka 43
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
चिच्छेद समरे वीर: क्षिप्रहस्तो दृढायुध: । रथादनवरूढस्य तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्
sañjaya uvāca |
chiccheda samare vīraḥ kṣiprahasto dṛḍhāyudhaḥ |
rathād anavarūḍhasya tad adbhutam ivābhavat, rājendra |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Ang bayaning iyon—mabilis ang kamay at matatag ang sandata—ay pinutol iyon sa gitna ng labanan. O pinakadakilang hari, bago pa makababa sa karwahe ang kanyang katunggali, naputol na niya ang kalasag at espada nito; at iyon ay wari’y isang kababalaghan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and speed in warfare can produce ‘adbhuta’ (astonishment), while implicitly reminding the listener that such prowess, though admired in kṣatriya culture, operates within the grave ethical burden of battlefield violence.
Sañjaya reports that a swift-handed, well-armed hero (contextually Aśvatthāman) cuts down Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s defensive gear—his shield and sword—so quickly that it happens before Dhṛṣṭadyumna can even get down from his chariot, an act described as astonishing.