Shloka 27
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
उद्धृूतलाडूलमहापताक- ध्वजोत्तमांसाकुलभीषणान्तम् । गाण्डीवनिर्हादकृतप्रणाद॑ किरीडिनं प्रेक्ष्य ननाद कर्ण:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
uddhṛta-lāṅgūla-mahā-patākā-dhvajottamāṃsākula-bhīṣaṇāntam |
gāṇḍīva-nirghāda-kṛta-praṇādaṃ kirīṭinaṃ prekṣya nanāda karṇaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Nang masilayan ni Karṇa ang nakadiademang si Arjuna—na ang kanyang karwahe ay may pinakadakilang watawat, ang malaking sagisag na tila nakataas na buntot ng unggoy na kumakaway na parang dambuhalang bandila; na ang unahan ay nakapangingilabot sa gitna ng kaguluhan at pangamba; at na ang presensya’y umaalingawngaw sa kulog na tunog ng Gāṇḍīva—si Karṇa ay umungal nang paulit-ulit na parang leon.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial symbols—banner, bow-sound, and lion-roar—are used to project courage and unsettle opponents; ethically, it also warns that such displays can intensify ego and rivalry, accelerating the descent into violence when dharma is already strained.
Arjuna appears with his formidable chariot-banner (with the monkey emblem) and the thunderous reverberation of the Gāṇḍīva; upon seeing him, Karna responds with repeated lion-like roars, signaling challenge and the escalation toward battle.