Shloka 6
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
स पाण्ड्यो नृपतिमश्रेष्ठ: सर्वशस्त्रभूतां वर: । कर्णस्यानीकमहनत् परा भूत इवान्तक:,संजयने कहा--राजन्! भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, कर्ण, अर्जुन तथा श्रीकृष्ण आदि जिन वीरोंको आप पूर्ण विद्वान, थनुर्वेदमें श्रेष्ठ तथा महारथी मानते हैं, इन सब महारथियोंको जो अपने पराक्रमके समक्ष तुच्छ समझता था, जो किसी भी नरेशको अपने समान नहीं मानता था, जो द्रोण और भीष्मके साथ अपनी तुलना नहीं सह सकता था और जिसने श्रीकृष्ण तथा अर्जुनसे भी अपनेमें तनिक भी न्यूनता माननेकी इच्छा नहीं की, उसी सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ नृपशिरोमणि पाण्ड्यने अपमानित हुए यमराजके समान कुपित हो कर्णकी सेनाका वध आरम्भ किया
sa pāṇḍyo nṛpatim-śreṣṭhaḥ sarva-śastra-bhṛtāṃ varaḥ | karṇasyānīkam ahanat parābhūta ivāntakaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “That Pāṇḍya—foremost among kings, the best of all weapon-bearers—began to cut down Karṇa’s host, raging like Death itself when dishonoured. In the moral atmosphere of the war, his wrath is presented not as mere cruelty but as the fierce, kingly resolve to answer insult and uphold his own kṣatriya standing through decisive action on the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield violence through the lens of kṣatriya honor: when a warrior-king is dishonoured, his response is portrayed as a grim, duty-bound ferocity. It highlights how reputation, self-respect, and the social code of warriors can intensify action in war, making wrath appear almost ‘death-like’ in its inevitability.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍya king—celebrated as an exceptional fighter—begins slaughtering Karṇa’s troops. His anger is compared to Antaka (Death) when insulted, emphasizing the scale and relentlessness of his assault.