Shloka 316
प्राणयोर्दीव्यतो राजन् कर्णराक्षसयोर्मुथे । राजन! युद्धके जूएमें प्राणोंकी बाजी लगाकर खेलते हुए कर्ण और राक्षसका वह रात्रियुद्ध दीर्थकालतक समानरूपमें ही चलता रहा
prāṇayor dīvyato rājan karṇarākṣasayor muthe | rājan yuddhake jūe meṃ prāṇoṃ kī bājī lagākar khelate hue karṇa aura rākṣasa kā vaha rātriyuddha dīrghakāla taka samānarūpa meṃ hī calatā rahā |
Sañjaya sprach: „O König, als spielten sie mit ihrem eigenen Leben, kämpften Karṇa und der Rākṣasa in jener Schlacht weiter. Das Leben war wie ein Einsatz im Würfelspiel des Krieges, und ihr Nachtkampf währte lange, ausgeglichen, ohne dass einer einen klaren Vorteil gewann.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a perilous ‘dice-game’ where life itself is the stake, highlighting the ethical gravity of battle: valor and duty may compel combat, yet the metaphor underscores how warfare turns human life into a wager, exposing the tragic cost and moral risk inherent in violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa and a Rākṣasa opponent are locked in a prolonged night-fight. The contest remains evenly balanced for a long time, with both combatants fighting as if staking their very lives.