Anjalikastra – Used by Arjuna to kill Karna.

The Anjalikastra is among the most renowned celestial arrows in the <i>Mahabharata</i>, remembered above all for the moment when Arjuna used it to bring down Karna during the Kurukshetra War. Unlike many astras celebrated for overwhelming elemental force, the Anjalikastra is remembered for its unfailing precision and decisive purpose. On the seventeenth day of the war, Karna's chariot wheel became lodged in the earth. As he struggled to free it, he appealed to Arjuna for the pause traditionally granted to a warrior in distress. Krishna reminded Arjuna of Karna's role in earlier violations of dharma, including the killing of Abhimanyu and the humiliation of Draupadi. At Krishna's urging, Arjuna released the Anjalikastra. The celestial arrow struck Karna with irresistible certainty. The episode became one of the defining moments of the epic, ending the rivalry between two of its greatest archers. The weapon's fame comes not merely from its destructive power but from the precision with which it fulfilled its single purpose. The Anjalikastra also embodies one of the deepest moral tensions in the <i>Mahabharata</i>. Its release has been debated for centuries as readers weigh battlefield duty, justice, vows and the cost of war. The epic presents the event without reducing it to a simple triumph, leaving its ethical complexity open to reflection.

The surviving critical tradition identifies the Anjalikastra as a celestial arrow employed by Arjuna during his final duel with Karna. The epic does not preserve a separate account describing its original creation or the first deity who possessed it. Like other divine astras, it belongs to the sacred science of celestial weapons acquired through disciplined instruction, mantra and divine grace. Its enduring fame rests upon the decisive role it played in the Kurukshetra War.

The Anjalikastra reflects unwavering certainty. It is neither extravagant nor indiscriminate. Every tradition surrounding it emphasizes precision, resolve and finality. Once released for its destined purpose, hesitation no longer exists.