Shloka 40
अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle
कौरवेष्वपयातेषु तदा राजन् दिनक्षये । जयं सुमनस: प्राप्य पार्था: स्वशिबिरं ययु:
kauraveṣv apayāteṣu tadā rājan dinakṣaye | jayaṁ sumanasaḥ prāpya pārthāḥ svaśibiraṁ yayuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, when the day was ending and the Kauravas had withdrawn, the sons of Pṛthā—having gained victory and grown glad at heart—returned to their own camp. With varied sounds of instruments, with lion-roars and thunderous shouts, they mocked the enemy and praised Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, exulting in the day’s success.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how victory in war quickly turns into public celebration and derision of the defeated; ethically, it points to the volatile emotions of the battlefield—exultation, pride, and mockery—contrasted with the ideal of restraint (dama) that dharma literature often commends.
At the close of the day’s fighting, the Kaurava forces withdraw. The Pāṇḍavas, encouraged by their success, return to their camp celebrating with loud martial sounds, ridiculing the enemy, and praising Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.