Mahabharata 7.1.44 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 1, Shloka 44
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
उन महापराक्रमी सत्यप्रतिज्ञ शूरवीर भीष्मके मारे जानेपर आपके पुत्रोंने कर्णका उसी प्रकार स्मरण किया, जैसे पार जानेकी इच्छावाले पुरुष नावकी इच्छा करते हैं ।।
tāvakās tava putrāś ca sahitāḥ sarvarājabhiḥ | hā karṇa iti cākrandan kālodayam iti cābruvan || bhīṣmasya mahāparākramiṇaḥ satyapratijñasya śūravīrasya māraṇe sati te kṛṣṇāḥ (tava putrāḥ) karṇam eva tathā smṛtavantaḥ yathā pāragaṃtum icchantaḥ puruṣā nāvam icchanti ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als Bhīṣma—von großer Kraft, fest in seinem Gelübde, ein Held—gefallen war, begannen deine Söhne samt den verbündeten Königen zu klagen und riefen: „Weh, Karṇa!“ Und sie sprachen: „Karṇa, die Stunde ist gekommen, da dein Heldenmut sich erheben soll.“ In ihrer Not wandten sie sich Karṇa zu wie Menschen, die einen Fluss überqueren wollen, nach einem Boot verlangen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, when a principal protector falls, people instinctively seek a new refuge—often treating a powerful individual as the ‘boat’ to cross danger. Ethically, it points to the vulnerability of relying solely on martial strength in a war where dharma is already strained; ‘kāla’ (the decisive time) arrives, but it does not guarantee righteousness or victory.
After Bhīṣma’s fall, the Kaurava side—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons along with their allied kings—breaks into lamentation and calls upon Karṇa. They urge him that the moment for his heroism has come, effectively looking to him to replace Bhīṣma as the main pillar of their army.
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