Санджая
कर्णस् तु रथिनां श्रेष्ठश् छाद्यमानः समन्ततः ॥
राजन् व्यसृजद् उग्राणि शरवर्षाणि संयुगे ॥
तस्य तान् अशनिप्रख्यान् इषून् समरशोभिनः ॥
चिच्छेद बहुभिर् भल्लैर् असंप्राप्तान् वृकोदरः ॥
पुनश् च शरवर्षेण छादयाम् आस भारत ॥
कर्णो वैकर्तनो युद्धे भीमसेनं महारथम् ॥
karṇas tu rathināṃ śreṣṭhaś chādyamānaḥ samantataḥ ||
rājan vyasṛjad ugrāṇi śaravarṣāṇi saṃyuge ||
tasya tān aśaniprakhyān iṣūn samaraśobhinaḥ ||
ciccheda bahubhir bhallair asaṃprāptān vṛkodaraḥ ||
punaś ca śaravarṣeṇa chādayām āsa bhārata ||
karṇo vaikartano yuddhe bhīmasenaṃ mahāratham ||
Karna, the best of charioteers, enveloped from every side, O king, released fierce showers of arrows in that battle. Those thunderbolt-like arrows of his, which adorned the fight, Vrikodara cut down with many broad-headed shafts before they could reach him. And once more, O descendant of Bharata, Karna Vaikartana enveloped Bhimasena, the great warrior, in a shower of arrows.
ce5224544643 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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The duel sways back and forth: now Bhima showers arrows, now Karna. The arrows are called samaraśobhinaḥ, those that adorn the battle -- the epic finds a fearsome beauty in the clash itself. It is telling that between equals, advantage is fleeting. The verse teaches that in a contest of the worthy there is no easy triumph: fortune passes from hand to hand, and the grandeur of battle lies in the parity of those who meet, where every blow is answered by a worthy reply.