Shloka 23
दृष्टवा विनिहतान् पुत्रांस्तव राजनमहारथान् । अश्रुपूर्णमुख: कर्ण क्षत्तु: सस्मार तद् वच:,राजन्! आपके महारथी पुत्रोंको इस प्रकार मारा गया देख कर्णके मुखपर आँसुओंकी धारा बह चली। उस समय उसे विदुरजीकी कही हुई बात याद आयी
dṛṣṭvā vinihatān putrāṁs tava rājan mahārathān | aśrupūrṇamukhaḥ karṇaḥ kṣattuḥ sasmāra tad vacaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, seeing your sons—those great chariot-warriors—slain in this manner, Karṇa’s face filled with tears. At that moment he recalled the words earlier spoken by Vidura, the royal counsellor, as if a warning of dharma once ignored had returned with the force of fate amid the ruin of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignored ethical counsel returns as lived consequence: when adharma-driven choices culminate in destruction, even the hardened warrior is forced into remembrance and remorse, highlighting the moral weight of wise advice (Vidura) and the inevitability of karmic outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, seeing the king’s great warrior-sons slain, is overwhelmed with tears and recalls Vidura’s earlier warning—an emotional turning point framed by the catastrophic losses of the war.