तस्मिन् हते भ्रातरि सूतपुत्रो; वैकर्तनो वीर्यम् अथाददानः ॥
प्रगृह्य दन्ताव् इव नागराजो; महर्षभं व्याघ्र इवाभ्यधावत् ॥
स पाण्डवं द्वादशभिः पृषत्कैर्; वैकर्तनः शीघ्रम् उपाजघान ॥
विव्याध गात्रेषु हयांश् च सर्वान्; विराटपुत्रं च शरैर् निजघ्ने ॥
स हस्तिनेवाभिहतो गजेन्द्रः; प्रगृह्य भल्लान् निशितान् निषङ्गात् ॥
आकर्णपूर्णं च धनुर् विकृष्य; विव्याध बाणैर् अथ सूतपुत्रम् ॥
अथास्य बाहूरुशिरोललाटं; ग्रीवां रथाङ्गानि परावमर्दी ॥
स्थितस्य बाणैर् युधि निर्बिभेद; गाण्डीवमुक्तैर् अशनिप्रकाशैः ॥
स पार्थमुक्तैर् विशिखैः प्रणुन्नो; गजो गजेनेव जितस् तरस्वी ॥
विहाय संग्रामशिरः प्रयातो; वैकर्तनः पाण्डवबाणतप्तः ॥
tasmin hate bhrātari sūtaputro; vaikartano vīryam athādadānaḥ ||
pragṛhya dantāv iva nāgarājo; maharṣabhaṃ vyāghra ivābhyadhāvat ||
sa pāṇḍavaṃ dvādaśabhiḥ pṛṣatkair; vaikartanaḥ śīghram upājaghāna ||
vivyādha gātreṣu hayāṃś ca sarvān; virāṭaputraṃ ca śarair nijaghne ||
sa hastinevābhihato gajendraḥ; pragṛhya bhallān niśitān niṣaṅgāt ||
ākarṇapūrṇaṃ ca dhanur vikṛṣya; vivyādha bāṇair atha sūtaputram ||
athāsya bāhūruśirolalāṭaṃ; grīvāṃ rathāṅgāni parāvamardī ||
sthitasya bāṇair yudhi nirbibheda; gāṇḍīvamuktair aśaniprakāśaiḥ ||
sa pārthamuktair viśikhaiḥ praṇunno; gajo gajeneva jitas tarasvī ||
vihāya saṃgrāmaśiraḥ prayāto; vaikartanaḥ pāṇḍavabāṇataptaḥ ||
When his brother was slain, the son of the suta, Vaikartana, took up his valor and charged the great bull among men, like a tiger seizing its prey, like a king of elephants. Vaikartana swiftly struck the Pandava with twelve arrows, wounded his limbs, struck down all his horses, and pierced the son of Virata with arrows. Then Partha, like a king of elephants struck by another elephant, taking sharp bhallas from his quiver and drawing his bow back to the ear, struck the son of the suta with arrows. Then this destroyer of foes pierced, with arrows loosed from the Gandiva and shining like lightning bolts, the arms, thighs, head, forehead, neck, and parts of the chariot of his opponent as he stood in battle. The son of Vaikartana, driven by the arrows loosed by Partha, mighty as an elephant yet vanquished by an elephant, abandoned the forefront of the battle and departed, scorched by the arrows of the Pandava.
89bf18027b5d · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:27:29 PM UTC
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Karna meets not the image from his own boasts, but the real Arjuna. His retreat marks the line between the promise of victory and the strength to withstand the Gandiva.