Mahabharata 7.136.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 136, Shloka 23
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
दृष्टवा कर्णोडश्रुपूर्णाक्षो मुहूर्त नाभ्यवर्तत । त॑ गतासुमतिक्रम्य कृत्वा कर्ण: प्रदक्षिणम्
dṛṣṭvā karṇo 'śrupūrṇākṣo muhūrtaṁ nābhyavartata | taṁ gatāsum atikramya kṛtvā karṇaḥ pradakṣiṇam ||
তাকে দেখে কর্ণের চোখ অশ্রুপূর্ণ হয়ে উঠল, আর এক মুহূর্ত সে কিছুই করতে পারল না। তারপর যার প্রাণ চলে গেছে তাকে অতিক্রম করে কর্ণ তার প্রদক্ষিণ করল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, the epic preserves a moral texture: grief and reverence are not erased by duty. Karṇa’s pradakṣiṇā signals acknowledgment of the fallen—an ethical restraint and a ritualized honor that coexists with kṣatriya obligation.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa encountering a slain figure. Karṇa is momentarily overcome—his eyes brimming with tears—then he moves past the corpse and performs a respectful circumambulation before continuing, indicating a solemn response rather than triumph.
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