अवहासं तु तं पार्थो नामृष्यत वृकोदरः ॥
ततो विव्याध राधेयं शतेन नतपर्वणाम् ॥
पुनश् च विशिखैस् तीक्ष्णैर् विद्ध्वा पञ्चभिर् आशुगैः ॥
धनुश् चिच्छेद भल्लेन सूतपुत्रस्य मारिष ॥
अथान्यद् धनुर् आदाय कर्णो भारत दुर्मनाः ॥
इषुभिश् छादयाम् आस भीमसेनं समन्ततः ॥
avahāsaṃ tu taṃ pārtho nāmṛṣyata vṛkodaraḥ ||
tato vivyādha rādheyaṃ śatena nataparvaṇām ||
punaś ca viśikhais tīkṣṇair viddhvā pañcabhir āśugaiḥ ||
dhanuś ciccheda bhallena sūtaputrasya māriṣa ||
athānyad dhanur ādāya karṇo bhārata durmanāḥ ||
iṣubhiś chādayām āsa bhīmasenaṃ samantataḥ ||
That mockery Partha Vrikodara could not endure; he then pierced Radheya with a hundred smooth-jointed arrows. And again, having pierced him with five sharp, swift arrows, he cut the bow of the charioteer's son with a bhalla-arrow, o venerable one. Then, taking up another bow, Karna, o Bharata, downcast, covered Bhimasena with arrows from every side.
3474b66a47d4 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
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An enemy's laughter wounds Bhima more sharply than arrows -- he cannot bear mockery and answers it with a hundred shafts. It is telling that Karna, deprived of his bow and downcast, at once takes up another: a stubbornness that will not admit defeat. The verse teaches that scorn for an opponent is a waste of spirit that only gives him cause to redouble his fury; and a fight prolonged by obstinacy alone only multiplies wounds without bringing the outcome any closer.