Shloka 22
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
विवस्त्रायुधदेहासून् कृत्वा शत्रूनू सहस्रश:
vivastrāyudhadehāsūn kṛtvā śatrūnū sahasraśaḥ
Sañjaya said: He reduced the enemies by the thousand to a state of utter helplessness—stripped of garments, weapons, bodies, and even life—showing the ruthless momentum of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical reality of war: martial success often manifests as the total disempowerment and destruction of opponents, forcing reflection on the human cost that accompanies kṣatriya valor and battlefield duty.
Sañjaya reports that the warrior’s onslaught was so overwhelming that enemies fell in vast numbers, rendered defenseless—deprived of clothing and weapons—and ultimately slain.