Shloka 44
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
तथाप्यतिरथ: कर्णो भिद्यमानो5स्यथ सायकै:,भीमसेनके बाणोंसे क्षत-विक्षत होनेपर भी शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाला अतिरथी कर्ण समरभूमिमें कुपित भीमसेनको छोड़कर भागा नहीं
tathāpy atirathaḥ karṇo bhidyamāno ’syatha sāyakaiḥ; bhīmasenake bāṇoṃse kṣata-vikṣata honepar bhī śatrūnko santāpa denevālā atirathī karṇaḥ samarabhūmau kupitaṃ bhīmasenaṃ chōḍakara bhāgā na
Sañjaya sprach: Dennoch floh Karṇa — der Atiratha, berühmt dafür, seine Feinde zu versengen —, obwohl von Bhīmasenas Pfeilen durchbohrt und zerfetzt, nicht vom Schlachtfeld und ließ den erzürnten Bhīma nicht zurück. Inmitten von Wunden und Bedrängnis hielt er stand und verkörperte den Entschluss des Kriegers, einem ebenbürtigen Gegner zu begegnen, statt den Kampf aufzugeben.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma: steadfast courage under injury and pressure, refusing to abandon a direct opponent in battle. Ethically, it frames valor as endurance and commitment to one’s martial duty, even when physically harmed.
During the Drona Parva fighting, Bhimasena strikes Karna with many arrows, leaving him wounded. Yet Karna, described as an atiratha who torments enemies, does not retreat from the battlefield or leave the enraged Bhima; he continues to stand and fight.