Shloka 19
तदनन्तर धनुषकी नोकसे उन्हें पीड़ा देते हुए कर्णने पुनः: इस प्रकार कहा--'माद्रीपुत्र! ये अर्जुन कौरवोंके साथ रणभूमिमें शीघ्रतापूर्वक युद्ध कर रहे हैं। तू उन्हींके पास चला जा अथवा तेरा मन हो तो घरको लौट जा! ।। एवमुक््त्वा तु तं कर्णो रथेन रथिनां वर: । प्रायात् पाज्चालपाण्डूनां सैन्यानि प्रदहन्निव,सहदेवसे ऐसा कहकर रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कर्ण पांचालों और पाण्डवोंकी सेनाओंको दग्ध करता हुआ-सा रथके द्वारा उनकी ओर वेगपूर्वक चल दिया
tadanantaraṃ dhanuṣkī nokase taṃ pīḍā dadatīva karṇena punaḥ prakāram idaṃ uktaṃ— “mādrīputra! eṣa arjunaḥ kauravaiḥ saha raṇabhūmau śīghratayā yuddhaṃ karoti. tvaṃ tasyāntikaṃ gaccha, athavā yadi te manaḥ syāt gṛhaṃ nivartasva.” evam uktvā tu taṃ karṇo rathena rathināṃ varaḥ prāyāt pāñcāla-pāṇḍūnāṃ sainyāni pradahann iva.
Sañjaya said: Thereafter, Karna—pressing him hard—spoke again in this manner: “Son of Madri! Arjuna is swiftly engaging the Kauravas in battle on the field. Go to him at once; or, if you prefer, return home.” Having said this to Sahadeva, Karna, the foremost of chariot-warriors, drove his chariot forward with great speed, seeming to scorch the armies of the Panchalas and the Pandavas as he advanced.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Kshatriya ethos of decisive action in war: Karna frames Sahadeva’s choice starkly—either go to the front where Arjuna is engaged or withdraw—underscoring how hesitation is treated as unworthy in the battlefield code, even when expressed through taunting rhetoric.
After speaking to Sahadeva and challenging him, Karna departs at speed in his chariot, charging toward the forces of the Panchalas and Pandavas; the narration depicts his advance as so fierce that it seems to burn the opposing armies.