Shloka 60
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
न्यहनत् पाण्डवीं सेनां वजहस्त इवासुरीम् । महाबली कर्णने युधिष्ठिससे ऐसा कहकर फिर उन्हें छोड़ दिया और जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्र असुरसेनाका संहार करते हैं, उसी प्रकार पाण्डव-सेनाका विनाश आरम्भ कर दिया ।। ५९ न ।! ततो<पायादू् द्रुतं राजन् व्रीडन्निव नरेश्वर:
sañjaya uvāca | nyahanat pāṇḍavīṁ senāṁ vajrahasta ivāsurīm | mahābalī karṇaḥ … | tato ’pāyād drutaṁ rājan vrīḍann iva nareśvaraḥ |
Sañjaya said: Then the mighty Karṇa began to strike down the Pāṇḍava host, just as Indra of the thunderbolt-hand destroys the army of the Asuras. Having spoken thus, he let them go; and thereafter, O King, that lord of men withdrew swiftly, as if overcome with shame.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid righteous warfare, the epic highlights inner moral states: power in battle is likened to Indra’s irresistible force, yet the phrase 'as if ashamed' suggests that a warrior’s conscience and sense of propriety can temper action, reminding readers that dharma includes self-restraint and accountability, not merely victory.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Karṇa, after speaking and then releasing his opponents, turns to devastate the Pāṇḍava forces, compared to Indra annihilating Asuras; afterward he withdraws quickly, described as if feeling shame.