Shloka 29
तेजसा वह्लिसदृशो वायुवेगसमो जवे । अन्तकप्रतिम: क्रोधे सिंहसंहननो बली
sañjaya uvāca | tejasā vahlisadṛśo vāyuvegāsamo jave | antakapratimaḥ krodhe siṃhasaṃhanano balī | prayāhi śīghraṃ govinda sūtaputrajighāṃsayā |
Sañjaya sprach: „Karna gleicht dem Feuer an Glanz, dem Wind an Schnelligkeit, dem Tod selbst an Zorn; löwenhaft gebaut und von großer Kraft. Darum, o Govinda, brich sogleich auf — getrieben vom Entschluss, den Sohn des Wagenlenkers zu töten.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how martial excellence is celebrated through cosmic similes (fire, wind, death), yet it also exposes the ethical tension of war: when anger and the intent to kill dominate, even ‘dharma’ framed as warrior duty can become morally perilous. It invites reflection on how inner states (krodha) shape choices and consequences on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports a moment of urgent mobilization: Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) is pressed to depart immediately with the purpose of killing the ‘sūtaputra’ (Karna, referred to by a socially charged epithet). The verse simultaneously characterizes Karna’s formidable power and frames the impending confrontation with heightened intensity.