Shloka 28
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
वधार्थ सूतपुत्रस्य पाण्डवेयेन चोदिता: । दूसरे लोगोंने राधापुत्र कर्णको देखकर क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके कहा--“समस्त श्रेष्ठ राजा मिलकर इस घमंडी और मूर्ख सूतपुत्रको मार डालें। इसके जीनेसे कोई लाभ नहीं है। यह पापात्मा पुरुष सदा कुन्तीकुमारोंके साथ अत्यन्त वैर रखता आया है। दुर्योधनकी रायमें रहकर यही सारे अनर्थोकी जड़ बना हुआ है। अतः इसे मार डालो।” ऐसा कहते हुए समस्त क्षत्रिय महारथी पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरसे सूतपुत्रके वधके लिये प्रेरित हो बाणोंकी बड़ी भारी वर्षद्वारा उसे आच्छादित करते हुए उसपर टूट पड़े || २४--२७ ह || तांस्तु सर्वास्तथा दृष्टवा धावमानान् महारथान्
sañjaya uvāca | vadhārthaṃ sūtaputrasya pāṇḍaveyena coditāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Urged on by the son of Pāṇḍu, the warriors moved with the intent to kill the charioteer’s son (Karna). In the heat of battle they cast Karna, the son of Rādhā, as the enduring foe of Kuntī’s sons and the root of ruin through his alignment with Duryodhana; thus they pressed Yudhiṣṭhira toward a decisive act, and the kṣatriya mahārathas surged forward, covering Karna with a dense shower of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse shows how, in war, ethical claims (“he is the root of harm, therefore must be slain”) are often intertwined with anger and political alignment. It invites reflection on dharma under pressure: whether an act is justified by outcomes and perceived necessity, or compromised by the passions and factional narratives driving it.
Sañjaya narrates that the Pāṇḍava side, prompted by a Pāṇḍava leader, advances with the aim of killing Karna. The assembled mahārathas rush in and overwhelm him with a heavy rain of arrows, pressing the battle toward a decisive confrontation.