Shloka 12
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
जातरूपमयै: पुडखी: शरांश्वानतपर्वण: । तैलथौतांश्व नाराचान् निर्मुक्तान् पन्नगानिव,'सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे युक्त झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाण तथा तेलमें धोये हुए नाराच केंचुल छोड़कर निकले हुए सर्पोके समान दिखायी दे रहे हैं
jātarūpamayaiḥ puṅkhaiḥ śarān śvānata-parvaṇaḥ | tailadhautāṃś ca nārācān nirmuktān pannagān iva ||
三阇耶说道：“羽翎如金、节结弯而紧密的箭矢，以及沉重的那罗迦箭杆——光润得仿佛以油洗过——一经放出，便宛如蜕皮而出的群蛇。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction, but its imagery implicitly warns that brilliance of arms and craftsmanship, when driven by anger and rivalry, turns into living terror on the battlefield—highlighting the tragic moral inversion where human agency animates destruction.
Sañjaya is vividly reporting the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing volleys of arrows—gold-feathered and oil-polished nārācas—flying forth and appearing like snakes shedding their skins, emphasizing speed, menace, and the density of missile warfare.