Shloka 54
सदेवगन्धर्वमनुष्यपूजितं निहत्य कर्ण रिपुमाहवेडर्जुन: । रराज राजन् परमेण वर्चसा यथा पुरा वृत्रवधे शतक्रतु:
sadeva-gandharva-manuṣya-pūjitaṃ nihatya karṇaṃ ripum āhave ’rjunaḥ | rarāja rājan parameṇa varcasā yathā purā vṛtra-vadhe śatakratuḥ ||
Śalya sprach: „O König, nachdem Arjuna im Kampf seinen Feind Karṇa erschlagen hatte—Karṇa, den Götter, Gandharvas und Menschen verehrten—strahlte Arjuna in höchster Herrlichkeit, wie einst Śatakratu (Indra) aufleuchtete, nachdem er Vṛtra getötet hatte.“
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial victory within a moral-epic lens: even a widely revered warrior (Karṇa) can fall when opposed by a divinely empowered and duty-bound hero (Arjuna). The comparison to Indra after Vṛtra’s slaying highlights how victory in a righteous, fated conflict is portrayed as producing ‘varcas’—a radiance of legitimacy, prowess, and public recognition.
Śalya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna has killed Karṇa in battle. After this decisive act, Arjuna appears resplendent, and Śalya likens his brilliance to Indra’s splendor after defeating the demon Vṛtra in ancient myth.