Mahabharata · 7.79.23–24
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् अर्जुनः पृषत्कानां शतैः षड्भिर् अताडयत् ॥
अत्यर्थम् इव संक्रुद्धः प्रतिविद्धे जनार्दने ॥
कर्णं द्वादशभिर् विद्ध्वा वृषसेनं त्रिभिस् तथा ॥
शल्यस्य सशरं चापं मुष्टौ चिच्छेद वीर्यवान् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tam arjunaḥ pṛṣatkānāṃ śataiḥ ṣaḍbhir atāḍayat ||
atyartham iva saṃkruddhaḥ pratividdhe janārdane ||
karṇaṃ dvādaśabhir viddhvā vṛṣasenaṃ tribhis tathā ||
śalyasya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ muṣṭau ciccheda vīryavān ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम् अर्जुनः पृषत्कानाम्tam arjunaḥ pṛṣatkānāmhim Arjuna with arrows; him Arjuna with a [cloud of] arrows
शतैः षड्भिः अताडयत्śataiḥ ṣaḍbhiḥ atāḍayatstruck with six hundred; struck with six hundred
अत्यर्थम् इव संक्रुद्धःatyartham iva saṃkruddhaḥexceedingly enraged; furious beyond measure
प्रतिविद्धे जनार्दनेpratividdhe janārdanewhen Janardana had been pierced; seeing that Janardana had been wounded
कर्णम् द्वादशभिः विद्ध्वाkarṇam dvādaśabhiḥ viddhvāhaving pierced Karna with twelve; piercing Karna with twelve
वृषसेनम् त्रिभिः तथाvṛṣasenam tribhiḥ tathāVrishasena -- likewise with three; Vrishasena -- equally with three
शल्यस्य सशरम् चापम्śalyasya saśaram cāpamShalya's bow together with its arrow; the bow of Shalya together with the arrow
मुष्टौ चिच्छेद वीर्यवान्muṣṭau ciccheda vīryavāncut at the grip, the valiant one; severed at the very grip, the mighty one
Translation
Arjuna struck him with six hundred arrows, exceedingly enraged that Janardana had been pierced. Having pierced Karna with twelve [arrows] and Vrishasena likewise with three, the valiant one cut Shalya's bow together with its arrow at the grip.
Version
94c8abf6b5d6 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Arjuna's anger flares not for himself but for Krishna: "atyartham… saṃkruddhaḥ pratividdhe janārdane" -- he blazes only when Janardana is wounded. It is telling that the devotee bears his own wounds but cannot bear an offense to the Lord. The verse teaches that in a loving heart one's own pain stays silent, while pain inflicted on the beloved rouses the whole of one's strength: zeal for the Lord is fiercer than any zeal for oneself.