Shloka 213
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
प्रमृद्य च रथश्रेष्ठान् युधिष्ठिरमपीडयत् । कर्ण भी अपने पैने बाणोंसे विशाल पाण्डवसेनाको हताहत करके बड़े-बड़े रथियोंको धूलमें मिलाकर युधिष्ठिरको पीड़ा देने लगा
pramṛdya ca rathaśreṣṭhān yudhiṣṭhiram apīḍayat |
Sañjaya said: Having crushed the foremost chariot-warriors, Karṇa pressed hard upon Yudhiṣṭhira. With his keen arrows he struck down many in the vast Pāṇḍava host, ground great fighters into the dust, and thus sought to inflict pain and pressure upon the king—an image of war’s ruthless momentum where prowess is used to break both armies and morale.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, martial excellence is often directed not only at defeating opponents physically but also at breaking their resolve. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: valor and duty operate within a field of suffering, where victory is pursued through overwhelming force and psychological pressure.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, after overpowering leading chariot-fighters, turns his force against Yudhiṣṭhira, harassing and afflicting him. The Pāṇḍava army is heavily struck by Karṇa’s sharp arrows, and prominent warriors are thrown down, intensifying the crisis around Yudhiṣṭhira.