आस्थाय तं काञ्चनरत्नचित्रं; रथोत्तमं सिंह इवोन्ननाद ॥
वैकर्तनं कर्णम् उपेत्य चापि; विव्याध वज्रप्रतिमैः पृषत्कैः ॥
तौ कर्णिनाराचशिलीमुखैश् च; नालीकदण्डैश् च सवत्सदन्तैः ॥
वराहकर्णैः सविषाणशृङ्गैः; क्षुरप्रवर्षैश् च विनेदतुः खम् ॥
तद् बाणधारावृतम् अन्तरिक्षं; तिर्यग्गताभिः समरे रराज ॥
सुवर्णपुङ्खज्वलितप्रभाभिर्; विचित्रपुष्पाभिर् इव स्रजाभिः ॥
समं हि ताव् अप्रतिमप्रभावाव्; अन्योन्यम् आजघ्नतुर् उत्तमास्त्रैः ॥
तयोर् हि वीरोत्तमयोर् न कश् चिद्; ददर्श तस्मिन् समरे विशेषम् ॥
āsthāya taṃ kāñcanaratnacitraṃ; rathottamaṃ siṃha ivonnanāda ||
vaikartanaṃ karṇam upetya cāpi; vivyādha vajrapratimaiḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ||
tau karṇinārācaśilīmukhaiś ca; nālīkadaṇḍaiś ca savatsadantaiḥ ||
varāhakarṇaiḥ saviṣāṇaśṛṅgaiḥ; kṣurapravarṣaiś ca vinedatuḥ kham ||
tad bāṇadhārāvṛtam antarikṣaṃ; tiryaggatābhiḥ samare rarāja ||
suvarṇapuṅkhajvalitaprabhābhir; vicitrapuṣpābhir iva srajābhiḥ ||
samaṃ hi tāv apratimaprabhāvāv; anyonyam ājaghnatur uttamāstraiḥ ||
tayor hi vīrottamayor na kaś cid; dadarśa tasmin samare viśeṣam ||
Mounting that chariot, excellent, adorned with gold and gems, Ghatotkacha roared like a lion, and, approaching Vaikartana Karna, pierced him with arrows like thunderbolts. Both — with barbed, iron, sting-tipped arrows, and tubular ones, and calf-tooth ones, boar-eared ones with horned points, and downpours of razor-arrows — filled the sky with their roar. That firmament, covered with streams of arrows flying aslant, shone in the battle with the blaze of golden-feathered shafts, as though with many-colored garlands. For the two of them, of unequalled might, matched each other, striking one another with the finest weapons; and of those two best of heroes no one saw in that battle any difference.
f3dac8f367df · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 4:58:10 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The sky filled with arrows 'shines as though with many-colored garlands': instruments of death are transfigured into festive wreaths. It is telling that the two fighters are equal — 'no one saw any difference': a clash of the worthiest knows no visible advantage. The verse teaches that beauty and terror in war are inseparable, and that equality between rivals makes the duel a pure trial of valor; and where strength does not differ, the outcome is decided not by superiority but by a higher will and a fated gift.