Shloka 403
ते कर्ण समपद्यन्त हृष्टरूपा: समन्ततः । शत्रुओंको तपानेवाले वीर! असुर, यातुधान और गुह्मक--ये सब ओरसे प्रसन्नचित्त हो कर्णके ही पक्षमें आ गये थे
te karṇa samapadyanta hṛṣṭarūpāḥ samantataḥ | śatrūṇāṃ tāpanāya iva vīra! asurā yātudhānā guhyakāś ca sarvataḥ prasannacittāḥ karṇasyaiva pakṣe samāgatāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Da kamen sie von allen Seiten zu Karṇa, die Gesichter hell vor Freude. O Held, der die Feinde versengt! Als wollten sie den Gegner verbrennen, scharten sich Asuras, Yātudhānas und Guhyakas—heiteren Herzens—allein auf Karṇas Seite. Die Szene macht deutlich, dass im Taumel des Krieges selbst nichtmenschliche Mächte sich einen Streiter erwählen und so die Spannung zwischen bloßer Gewalt und der vom Dharma getragenen Sache verschärfen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can attract forces driven by power and destruction, not necessarily by dharma. It invites reflection on the difference between gaining support through might and gaining legitimacy through righteousness.
Sañjaya reports that various non-human groups—Asuras, Yātudhānas, and Guhyakas—arrive from all directions and align themselves with Karṇa’s faction, appearing delighted and eager to harm the enemy.