Shloka 42
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
युध्यतेड्सौ रणे कर्णो दंशित: सर्वपार्थिवै:,“रणभूमिमें वह कवचधारी कर्ण समस्त राजाओंके साथ अकेला ही युद्ध कर रहा है। देखो, कर्णके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुई यह पाण्डव-सेना कार्तिकेयके द्वारा नष्ट की हुई असुरवाहिनीके समान भागी जा रही है
sañjaya uvāca | yudhyate 'sau raṇe karṇo daṃśitaḥ sarvapārthivaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Karṇa, clad in armor, fights on alone though assailed by all the kings. The Pāṇḍava host, tormented by Karṇa’s arrows, is breaking and fleeing, like the Asura army shattered by Kārttikeya (Skanda).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield dharma is tested not only by strength but by morale: even a large force can collapse when repeatedly wounded and psychologically overwhelmed. It also uses a divine simile to show that human violence, when intensified, can resemble mythic annihilation—warning how quickly duty can devolve into panic and destruction.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, though attacked by many royal warriors, continues fighting fiercely. The Pāṇḍava troops, struck by his arrows, begin to break ranks and flee, compared to the Asura host destroyed by the war-god Kārttikeya.