ततः कर्णस् तु विंशत्या शराणां भीमम् आर्दयत् ॥
विव्याध चास्य त्वरितः सूतं पञ्चभिर् आशुगैः ॥
प्रहस्य भीमसेनस् तु कर्णं प्रत्यर्पयद् रणे ॥
सायकानां चतुःषष्ट्या क्षिप्रकारी महाबलः ॥
तस्य कर्णो महेष्वासः सायकांश् चतुरो ऽक्षिपत् ॥
असंप्राप्तांस् तु तान् भीमः सायकैर् नतपर्वभिः ॥
चिच्छेद बहुधा राजन् दर्शयन् पाणिलाघवम् ॥
tataḥ karṇas tu viṃśatyā śarāṇāṃ bhīmam ārdayat ||
vivyādha cāsya tvaritaḥ sūtaṃ pañcabhir āśugaiḥ ||
prahasya bhīmasenas tu karṇaṃ pratyarpayad raṇe ||
sāyakānāṃ catuḥṣaṣṭyā kṣiprakārī mahābalaḥ ||
tasya karṇo maheṣvāsaḥ sāyakāṃś caturo 'kṣipat ||
asaṃprāptāṃs tu tān bhīmaḥ sāyakair nataparvabhiḥ ||
ciccheda bahudhā rājan darśayan pāṇilāghavam ||
Then Karna tormented Bhima with twenty arrows, and swiftly pierced his charioteer with five swift ones. Smiling, Bhimasena repaid Karna in battle with sixty-four arrows, swift-acting and mighty. At him Karna, the great archer, cast four arrows; but Bhima, before they reached him, struck them down with smooth-jointed arrows.
09016df8c8a1 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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Bhima answers twenty arrows with sixty-four, 'prahasya', smiling: calm strength surpasses onslaught. It is telling that even before Karna he remains unshaken. The verse teaches that the self-possessed answers with easy superiority: where the enemy strikes from fury, the master repays with a smile and a multiple, for composure multiplies strength while anger squanders it.