Shloka 286
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
न विव्यथे सूतपुत्रो न च त्रासमगच्छत । उन समस्त महारथियोंको इस प्रकार धावा करते देख सूतपुत्रके मनमें न तो व्यथा हुई और न त्रास ही हुआ
na vivyathe sūtaputro na ca trāsam agacchata | tān samastān mahārathīn evaṃ dhāvataḥ paśyan sūtaputrasya manasi na vyathābhūt na ca trāsaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing all those great chariot-warriors charging in that manner, the charioteer’s son (Karṇa) neither wavered in spirit nor fell into fear.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds mental steadiness in crisis: even when confronted by many formidable opponents, a warrior’s resolve need not collapse into fear. In Mahābhārata’s ethical landscape, such fearlessness is admired as valor, while the broader war context invites reflection on how courage operates amid morally complex conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, seeing a mass of great chariot-warriors charging, remains unshaken and unafraid. The line emphasizes Karṇa’s composure as the battle pressure intensifies.