Shloka 153
Adhyāya 35 — Bhīmasena’s Counter-Encirclement and the Karṇa Engagement Escalation
प्रबभौ पुरुषव्याप्रो मन्दरस्थ इवांशुमान् | उस श्रेष्ठ रथपर चढ़ा हुआ पुरुषसिंह कर्ण अपनी बाणमयी किरणोंसे युक्त हो मन्दराचलके शिखरपर देदीप्यमान होनेवाले सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित हो रहा था
sañjaya uvāca |
prababhau puruṣavyāghro mandarasthe ivāṃśumān |
Sañjaya sprach: Karṇa, ein Tiger unter den Menschen, auf seinem vortrefflichen Wagen sitzend, strahlte hervor—bewaffnet mit Strahlen in Gestalt von Pfeilen—wie die Sonne, die auf dem Gipfel des Berges Mandara lodert.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how outward brilliance—strength, fame, and martial radiance—can be awe-inspiring yet morally ambiguous in a dharma-conflicted war; splendor does not by itself certify righteousness.
Sañjaya narrates Karṇa’s appearance on his chariot: he is depicted as dazzling and formidable, likened to the sun blazing on Mount Mandara, with his arrows metaphorically becoming the sun’s rays.