Shloka 74
साश्वं तु कर्ण सरथं किरीटी समाचिनोद् भारत वत्सदन्तै: । प्रच्छादयामास दिशश्न बाणै: सर्वप्रयत्नात्तपनीयपुड्खै:,भरतनन्दन! किरीटधारी अर्जुनने घोड़ों और रथसहित कर्णके शरीरको वत्सदन्त नामक बाणोंसे भर दिया। फिर सारी शक्ति लगाकर सुवर्णमय पंखवाले बाणोंसे उन्होंने सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको आच्छादित कर दिया
sāśvaṁ tu karṇa-sarathaṁ kirīṭī samācinod bhārata vatsadantaiḥ | pracchādayāmāsa diśaś ca bāṇaiḥ sarva-prayatnāt tapanīya-puṅkhaiḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Arjuna, người đội mũ miện của dòng Bharata, đã dùng những mũi tên “Vatsadanta” lấp đầy thân thể Karṇa—cả ngựa lẫn chiến xa. Rồi dốc trọn quyết tâm, chàng khiến bốn phương như bị che phủ bởi những mũi tên có lông vũ óng ánh như vàng.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as unwavering effort and mastery in battle: Arjuna applies total resolve and disciplined skill. Ethically, it underscores how duty-driven warfare can still be overwhelming and destructive, reminding the listener that power must be understood within the grave moral weight of Kurukṣetra.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna’s intense counterattack: he saturates Karṇa, his horses, and his chariot with a named variety of arrows (vatsadanta), and then releases a dense volley of bright, gold-feathered shafts that seem to blanket all directions—signaling dominance in that exchange of combat.