Shloka 49
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
एतांश्चान्यांश्व॒ राजेन्द्र प्रवीराज्जयगृद्धिन: । अभ्यर्दयन्महेष्वास: कर्णपुत्रो विशाम्पते
etāṁścānyāṁś ca rājendra pravīrāj jayagṛddhinaḥ | abhyardayan maheṣvāsaḥ karṇaputro viśāmpate ||
Sañjaya said: O king, that great archer—the son of Karṇa—pressed hard against these and other foremost warriors, all eager for victory, and drove his assault upon them in the thick of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of the kṣatriya: relentless exertion toward one’s chosen aim (here, victory). It also subtly warns that victory-lust (jaya-gṛddhi) can drive even great heroes into escalating violence, making intention as significant as prowess.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa’s son, the mighty archer Vṛṣasena, is forcefully attacking and pressing back multiple leading warriors who are themselves striving for victory.