तम् अन्तरिक्षे नाराचं द्रौणिश् चिच्छेद पत्रिणा ॥
धनंजयभयात् कर्णम् उज्जिहीर्षुर् महारथः ॥
ततो द्रौणिं चतुःषष्ट्या विव्याध कुपितो ऽर्जुनः ॥
शिलीमुखैर् महाराज मा गास् तिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् ॥
स तु मत्तगजाकीर्णम् अनीकं रथसंकुलम् ॥
तूर्णम् अभ्याविशद् द्रौणिर् धनंजयशरार्दितः ॥
ततः सुवर्णपृष्ठानां धनुषां कूजतां रणे ॥
शब्दं गाण्डीवघोषेण कौन्तेयो ऽभ्यभवद् बली ॥
tam antarikṣe nārācaṃ drauṇiś ciccheda patriṇā ||
dhanaṃjayabhayāt karṇam ujjihīrṣur mahārathaḥ ||
tato drauṇiṃ catuḥṣaṣṭyā vivyādha kupito 'rjunaḥ ||
śilīmukhair mahārāja mā gās tiṣṭheti cābravīt ||
sa tu mattagajākīrṇam anīkaṃ rathasaṃkulam ||
tūrṇam abhyāviśad drauṇir dhanaṃjayaśarārditaḥ ||
tataḥ suvarṇapṛṣṭhānāṃ dhanuṣāṃ kūjatāṃ raṇe ||
śabdaṃ gāṇḍīvaghoṣeṇa kaunteyo 'bhyabhavad balī ||
That naracha in the air the son of Drona cut with a feathered arrow, the great warrior wishing to save Karna out of fear of Dhananjaya. Then the enraged Arjuna, O great king, pierced the son of Drona with sixty-four arrows and said, 'Do not go, stand!' He, the son of Drona, tormented by Dhananjaya's arrows, swiftly entered the army, full of maddened elephants and dense with chariots. Then the mighty son of Kunti overcame with the roar of the Gandiva the sound of the gold-backed bows twanging in battle.
941685b8fcc2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
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Ashvatthaman saves Karna from Arjuna's arrow — loyalty to a friend moves him too: faithfulness exists even in the camp of the unrighteous. It is telling that the roar of the Gandiva drowns out the twang of all the other bows: one righteous voice outweighs a discordant multitude. The verse teaches that valor and friendship are genuine on both sides; but where forces meet, the advantage lies not in number but in wholeness — the single roar of the Gandiva overcomes the din of the entire enemy arsenal.