Shloka 40
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
वेगवान् समरे घोरे शरांश्वाशीविषोपमान् । स पार्षतस्य राजेन्द्र धनुः शक्ति गदां ध्वजम्
vegavān samare ghore śarān āśīviṣopamān | sa pārṣatasya rājendra dhanuḥ śakti gadāṃ dhvajam ||
桑阇耶说：在那可怖的战斗中，他迅疾放射箭矢，宛如毒蛇。大王啊，他击落了普利沙塔之子的弓、标枪（śakti）、钉头槌与战旗。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, prowess often targets not only life but also the symbols and tools of a warrior’s capacity and honor (weapons and banner). Ethically, it underscores the grim momentum of battle where skill becomes destructive efficiency, inviting reflection on the costs borne by dharma when conflict intensifies.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, amid a fierce engagement, the warrior (contextually, a leading combatant in Karṇa Parva) shoots swift, serpent-like arrows and disables Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s equipment—his bow, spear, mace, and banner—thereby weakening his fighting position and public standing on the battlefield.