Shloka 26
कर्णसायकनुन्नानां क्रोशतामेष नि:स्वन: । अनिशं श्रूयते पार्थ त्वद्वन्धूनामनाथवत्,“अर्जुन! कर्णके बाणोंसे घायल होकर अनाथके समान चीखते-चिल्लाते हुए तुम्हारे सहायक बन्धुओंका यह आर्तनाद निरन्तर सुनायी दे रहा है
karṇasāyaka-nunnānāṃ krośatām eṣa niḥsvanaḥ | aniśaṃ śrūyate pārtha tvad-bandhūnām anāthavat ||
Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, this wailing cry of your kinsmen and allies—struck and driven by Karṇa’s arrows—keeps being heard without pause, as though they were helpless and without a protector.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the human cost of war: even mighty lineages become ‘anātha’—as if protectorless—when overwhelmed by violence. It implicitly challenges the listener to weigh duty and strategy against compassion and responsibility for one’s own people.
Sañjaya reports to the listener that Karṇa’s arrows are causing severe distress among Arjuna’s side; the continuous cries of the wounded and terrified allies/kinsmen are audibly rising from the battlefield, indicating Karṇa’s fierce pressure and the collapsing sense of protection among Arjuna’s supporters.