Shloka 197
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
यदाश्रौषं कर्णमासाद्य मुक्त वधाद् भीम॑ कुत्सयित्वा वचोभि: । धनुष्कोट्या55तुद्य कर्णेन वीरं तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि वीर भीमसेन कर्णके पंजेमें फँस गये थे, परंतु कर्णने तिरस्कारपूर्वक झिड़ककर और धनुषकी नोक चुभाकर ही छोड़ दिया तथा भीमसेन मृत्युके मुखसे बच निकले। संजय! तभी मेरी विजयकी आशापर पानी फिर गया
yadāśrauṣaṁ karṇam āsādya mukta-vadhād bhīmaṁ kutsayitvā vacobhiḥ | dhanuṣkoṭyā tudya karṇena vīraṁ tadā nāśaṁse vijayāya sañjaya sañjaya ||
When I heard that the hero Bhīma, having fallen into Karṇa’s grasp, was nevertheless released from death—Karṇa merely rebuking him with contemptuous words and pricking him with the tip of his bow before letting him go—then, Sañjaya, my hope of victory was dashed.
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between martial necessity and ethical restraint: mercy or adherence to a personal code in a critical moment can alter the course of conflict, and strategic outcomes may hinge on a warrior’s self-control as much as on strength.
The speaker reports hearing that Bhīma fell into Karṇa’s power but was not killed; Karṇa instead mocked him, lightly pricked him with the bow-tip, and released him. This act makes the speaker lose confidence in achieving victory.