Shloka 118
एते चरन्ति संग्रामे कर्णचापच्युता: शरा: । भ्रमराणामिव वातास्तापयन्ति सम तावकान्,'ये संग्राममें कर्णके धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाण भ्रमरोंके समूहोंकी भाँति चलते और तुम्हारे योद्धाओंको संतप्त करते हैं
ete caranti saṅgrāme karṇacāpacyutāḥ śarāḥ | bhramarāṇām iva vātās tāpayanti sama tāvakān ||
Sañjaya nói: “Những mũi tên này, phóng ra từ cung của Karṇa, lao khắp chiến địa như những luồng gió lùa giữa bầy ong, thiêu đốt và hành hạ chiến binh của ngài từ mọi phía.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not present a direct moral injunction; it highlights the intense consequences of martial skill in war—how a single warrior’s prowess can bring widespread suffering. Implicitly, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: valor and effectiveness in battle coexist with the grievous harm inflicted upon living beings.
Sañjaya, reporting the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes Karṇa’s arrows flying across the field. Using a simile of winds amid swarming bees, he conveys their relentless, agitating motion and their burning, tormenting effect on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s (Kaurava) troops.