संरम्भेण तु युध्यन्तं भीमसेनं स्मयन्न् इव ॥
अभ्यपद्यत राधेयस् तम् अमर्षी वृकोदरम् ॥
तन् नामृष्यत कौन्तेयः कर्णस्य स्मितम् आहवे ॥
युध्यमानेषु वीरेषु पश्यत्सु च समन्ततः ॥
तं भीमसेनः संप्राप्तं वत्सदन्तैः स्तनान्तरे ॥
विव्याध बलवान् क्रुद्धस् तोत्त्रैर् इव महाद्विपम् ॥
saṃrambheṇa tu yudhyantaṃ bhīmasenaṃ smayann iva ||
abhyapadyata rādheyas tam amarṣī vṛkodaram ||
tan nāmṛṣyata kaunteyaḥ karṇasya smitam āhave ||
yudhyamāneṣu vīreṣu paśyatsu ca samantataḥ ||
taṃ bhīmasenaḥ saṃprāptaṃ vatsadantaiḥ stanāntare ||
vivyādha balavān kruddhas tottrair iva mahādvipam ||
And Radheya met Bhimasena, who fought with fury, as if smiling — that intolerant Vrikodara. The son of Kunti could not bear Karna's smile in battle, while the heroes fought and onlookers watched from every side. Bhimasena, strong and enraged, pierced Karna, who had drawn near, in the chest with calf-tooth arrows, as with goads a great elephant.
abab2dc9671c · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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Bhima "na amṛṣyata" — could not bear Karna's smile: the calm superiority of an enemy stings sharper than a wound. It is telling that an even smile inflames fury more than a blow. The verse teaches that an opponent's composure burns the proud more than any arrow: where anger seeks answering anger, it meets calm instead, and it is this unshakeable composure, not strength, that is hardest of all for wounded pride to bear.