एतस्मिन्न् अन्तरे राजन् दृष्ट्वा कर्णस्य विक्रमम् ॥
आकर्णमुक्तैर् इषुभिः कर्णस्य चतुरो हयान् ॥
अनयन् मृत्युलोकाय चतुर्भिः सायकोत्तमैः ॥
सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडाद् अपाहरत् ॥
छादयाम् आस च शरैस् तव पुत्रस्य पश्यतः ॥
स छाद्यमानः समरे हताश्वो हतसारथिः ॥
मोहितः शरजालेन कर्तव्यं नाभ्यपद्यत ॥
तं तथा विरथं दृष्ट्वा रथम् आरोप्य स्वं तदा ॥
अश्वत्थामा महाराज भूयो ऽर्जुनम् अयोधयत् ॥
etasminn antare rājan dṛṣṭvā karṇasya vikramam ||
ākarṇamuktair iṣubhiḥ karṇasya caturo hayān ||
anayan mṛtyulokāya caturbhiḥ sāyakottamaiḥ ||
sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apāharat ||
chādayām āsa ca śarais tava putrasya paśyataḥ ||
sa chādyamānaḥ samare hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ ||
mohitaḥ śarajālena kartavyaṃ nābhyapadyata ||
taṃ tathā virathaṃ dṛṣṭvā ratham āropya svaṃ tadā ||
aśvatthāmā mahārāja bhūyo 'rjunam ayodhayat ||
In this interval, O king, seeing Karna's prowess, [Arjuna,] with arrows drawn to the ear, sent Karna's four horses to the realm of death with four excellent arrows, and swept his charioteer from the chariot-seat with a bhalla-arrow; and he covered him with arrows before the eyes of your son. He, covered in battle, his horses slain and his charioteer slain, bewildered by the net of arrows, found nothing to be done. Seeing him thus deprived of his chariot, Ashvatthaman, O great king, raised him onto his own chariot and again fought with Arjuna.
066627b49342 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Arjuna leaves Karna without a chariot before Duryodhana's eyes — and the formidable warrior, stripped of horses and charioteer, "finds nothing to be done." It is telling that Ashvatthaman at once takes him onto his own chariot: fellowship does not abandon the fallen. The verse teaches that even the strongest may be left helpless when their supports are lost; and true friendship is known in that very moment, when a comrade, without hesitation, shares his chariot and his fight with the one disarmed.