तां शक्तिपाषाणपरश्वधानां; प्रासासिवज्राशनिमुद्गराणाम् ॥
वृष्टिं विशालां ज्वलितां पतन्तीं; कर्णः शरौघैर् न शशाक हन्तुम् ॥
शराहतानां पततां हयानां; वज्राहतानां पततां गजानाम् ॥
शिलाहतानां च महारथानां; महान् निनादः पततां बभूव ॥
सुभीमनानाविधशस्त्रपातैर्; घटोत्कचेनाभिहतं समन्तात् ॥
दौर्योधनं तद् बलम् आर्तरूपम्; आवर्तमानं ददृशे भ्रमन्तम् ॥
हाहाकृतं संपरिवर्तमानं; संलीयमानं च विषण्णरूपम् ॥
ते त्व् आर्यभावात् पुरुषप्रवीराः; पराङ्मुखा न बभूवुस् तदानीम् ॥
tāṃ śaktipāṣāṇaparaśvadhānāṃ; prāsāsivajrāśanimudgarāṇām ||
vṛṣṭiṃ viśālāṃ jvalitāṃ patantīṃ; karṇaḥ śaraughair na śaśāka hantum ||
śarāhatānāṃ patatāṃ hayānāṃ; vajrāhatānāṃ patatāṃ gajānām ||
śilāhatānāṃ ca mahārathānāṃ; mahān ninādaḥ patatāṃ babhūva ||
subhīmanānāvidhaśastrapātair; ghaṭotkacenābhihataṃ samantāt ||
dauryodhanaṃ tad balam ārtarūpam; āvartamānaṃ dadṛśe bhramantam ||
hāhākṛtaṃ saṃparivartamānaṃ; saṃlīyamānaṃ ca viṣaṇṇarūpam ||
te tv āryabhāvāt puruṣapravīrāḥ; parāṅmukhā na babhūvus tadānīm ||
That downpour of spears, stones, axes, javelins, swords, thunderbolts, lightnings, and hammers — a downpour vast, blazing, falling — Karna, with streams of arrows, could not beat back. Of horses falling, struck by arrows, of elephants falling, struck by thunderbolts, and of great warriors struck down by stones, there arose a great roar of the falling. Struck on every side by the most fearsome falling of manifold weapons wrought by Ghatotkacha, that army of Duryodhana, wretched in appearance, was seen whirling, reeling, crying out in anguish, staggering, and disintegrating, downcast in look — yet they, out of noble spirit, heroes among men, did not turn away even then.
a90d492b01ba · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:58:10 PM UTC
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Even Karna is powerless to beat back the whole downpour of illusion — and yet the warriors 'out of noble spirit did not turn away.' It is telling that amid a perishing army the noble stand firm: dignity holds them in place when strength no longer avails. The verse teaches that there is a steadfastness born not of power but of honor: the noble man does not flee even in hopelessness, for to him the shame of flight is more terrible than death; and this faithfulness to duty shines brightest in the hour of defeat.