Shloka 36
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच प्रार्थयन्तो जयं युद्धे प्रथितं च महद् यश: । पृथिव्यां शेरते शूरा: पार्थिवास्त्वच्छरैर्हता:
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca prārthayanto jayaṃ yuddhe prathitaṃ ca mahad yaśaḥ | pṛthivyāṃ śerate śūrāḥ pārthivās tvaccharair hatāḥ ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa sprach: Im Verlangen nach Sieg im Kampf und nach großem, weithin gerühmtem Ruhm liegen diese heldenhaften Könige nun auf der Erde—von deinen Pfeilen erschlagen.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war: warriors and kings pursue victory and lasting fame, yet the immediate outcome is death and collapse into the dust. It implicitly cautions against attachment to glory and emphasizes accountability for the destruction one causes, even when acting within the warrior code.
Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna, pointing out that many heroic kings now lie dead on the battlefield, struck down by Arjuna’s arrows. The statement both acknowledges Arjuna’s martial power and confronts him with the stark reality of the carnage produced in the struggle for victory.