Shloka 5
तस्यार्धचन्द्रैस्त्रिभिरुच्चकर्त प्रहस्य बाहू च शिरश्न कर्ण: । स स्यन्दनादू् गामगमद् गतासु: परश्ववैः शाल इवावरुग्ण:,तब कर्णने हँसकर तीन अर्धचन्द्राकार बाणोंसे उग्रकर्माकी दोनों भुजाएँ और मस्तक काट डाले। वह प्राणशून्य होकर कुल्हाड़ीके काटे हुए शाखूके पेड़के समान रथसे पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tasyārdhacandrais tribhir uccakarta prahasya bāhū ca śiraś ca karṇaḥ | sa syandanād bhūmim agamad gatāsuḥ paraśvabhiḥ śāla iva avarugṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Lachend trennte Karṇa mit drei halbmondförmigen Pfeilen seinem Gegner beide Arme und den Kopf ab. Leblos stürzte er vom Wagen zur Erde, wie ein Śāla-Baum, von Äxten gefällt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma) where skill and resolve decide life and death instantly; it also highlights impermanence—life can be cut off as abruptly as a tree felled by axes—inviting reflection on the moral cost of war even when fought as duty.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, laughing in confidence, uses three crescent-headed arrows to cut off his opponent’s two arms and head; the slain warrior then drops lifeless from the chariot to the ground, compared to a śāla tree chopped down.