Shloka 16
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
विनष्टै: पाण्डवेयैश्न सशैलवनकाननाम् | वसुंधरामिमां कर्ण भोक्ष्यामो हतकण्टकाम्,“कर्ण! पाण्डवोंके नष्ट हो जानेपर हमलोग पर्वत, वन और काननोंसहित इस निष्कण्टक वसुधाका राज्य भोगेंगे
vinaṣṭaiḥ pāṇḍaveyaiś na saśailavanakānanām | vasuṃdharām imāṃ karṇa bhokṣyāmo hatakaṇṭakām ||
قال سانجيا: «يا كارنا، إذا هلك أبناءُ باندو، فسننعم بسيادة هذه الأرض—بجبالها وغاباتها وأحراجها—وقد صارت “بلا شوك”، أي بلا عوائق ولا منازع.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exposes the ethical danger of viewing victory as the removal of “thorns” (obstacles) and treating the destruction of rivals as a legitimate path to enjoyment of the earth. It reflects the war-ethic tension in the epic: political ambition and triumphalism can eclipse dharma by normalizing violence as a means to sovereignty.
Sañjaya reports a statement addressed to Karṇa: the speaker anticipates that once the Pāṇḍavas are eliminated, the victors will rule and enjoy the entire earth—mountains, forests, and all—now imagined as ‘thornless,’ i.e., free from opposing claimants and impediments.