Shloka 4
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
मिषतां योधमुख्यानां सैन्धवो विनिपातित: । उस समय आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने कर्णसे इस प्रकार कहा--'कर्ण! देखो, श्रीकृष्णसहित पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनने आचार्यद्वारा निर्मित व्यूहको, जिसका भेदन करना देवताओंके लिये भी अत्यन्त कठिन था, भेदकर तुम्हारे और महात्मा द्रोणके युद्धमें तत्पर रहते हुए भी मुख्य- मुख्य योद्धाओंके देखते-देखते सिंधुराज जयद्रथको मार गिराया है ।। २-३ $ || पश्य राधेय पृथ्वीशा: पृथिव्यां प्रवरा युधि
miṣatāṁ yodhamukhyānāṁ saindhavo vinipātitaḥ | paśya rādhēya pṛthvīśāḥ pṛthivyāṁ pravarā yudhi ||
Sañjaya said: “Before the very eyes of the foremost warriors, the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha) has been struck down. Look, O Rādheya (Karna): even the best of kings on earth—renowned for battle—stood watching as this happened.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological truth that reputation and numbers do not guarantee protection in war; decisive action can overturn the confidence of even ‘foremost’ warriors. It also implies accountability: great fighters are not merely actors but witnesses to outcomes that expose the limits of pride and the force of destiny.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Jayadratha, the Sindhu-king, has been killed in full view of the leading Kaurava warriors. The address to Karna (“Rādheya”) frames the event as a shocking reversal meant to be noticed by the battlefield’s most renowned kings and champions.