Shloka 32
पश्यामि च तथा कर्ण विचरन्तमभीतवत् । द्रवमाणान् रथोदारान् किरन्तं निशितै: शरै:,“मैं देखता हूँ, कर्ण निर्भय-सा विचर रहा है और भागते हुए श्रेष्ठ रथियोंपर भी पीछेसे तीखे बाणोंकी वर्षा कर रहा है
paśyāmi ca tathā karṇa vicarantam abhītavat | dravamāṇān rathodārān kirantaṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “I see Karṇa moving about as though fearless, and even upon the noble chariot-warriors who are fleeing, he showers a rain of sharp arrows from behind.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield valor and relentless pursuit as a feature of kṣatriya warfare, while also raising an ethical tension: striking even those who are retreating underscores how martial excellence can slide into harshness when victory becomes the overriding aim.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa is roaming the field with apparent fearlessness and is shooting sharp arrows at eminent chariot-fighters who are already in flight, even attacking them from behind as they retreat.