कर्णचापच्युता बाणाः संपतन्तस् ततस् ततः ॥
रुक्मपुङ्खा व्यराजन्त हंसाः श्रेणीकृता इव ॥
चापध्वजोपस्करेभ्यश् छत्राद् ईषामुखाद् युगात् ॥
प्रभवन्तो व्यदृश्यन्त राजन्न् आधिरथेः शराः ॥
खं पूरयन् महावेगान् खगमान् खगवाससः ॥
सुवर्णविकृतांश् चित्रान् मुमोचाधिरथिः शरान् ॥
karṇacāpacyutā bāṇāḥ saṃpatantas tatas tataḥ ||
rukmapuṅkhā vyarājanta haṃsāḥ śreṇīkṛtā iva ||
cāpadhvajopaskarebhyaś chatrād īṣāmukhād yugāt ||
prabhavanto vyadṛśyanta rājann ādhiratheḥ śarāḥ ||
khaṃ pūrayan mahāvegān khagamān khagavāsasaḥ ||
suvarṇavikṛtāṃś citrān mumocādhirathiḥ śarān ||
The arrows flying from Karna's bow, streaming now here, now there, with golden plumage, shone like geese arrayed in flight. From the bow, the banner, the harness, from the parasol, the pole-end, the yoke — from all these, O king, the arrows of Adhirathi's son seemed to issue. Filling the sky, swift, winging through the air with feathered plumage, adorned with gold, wondrous arrows did the son of Adhiratha loose.
1b2603ed62f7 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
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Karna's arrows, like flocks of geese, hide the archer himself — only the streams of them are seen, issuing from every side. It is telling that the beauty of the image — golden plumage, bird-like flight — clothes an unbroken rain of death. The verse teaches that skill turned to destruction dazzles the eye even of the enemy; but to marvel at the craft is not to justify the deed for whose sake the sky is darkened with death.