Shloka 55
कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament
सज्ञातिबान्धव: शूर: समरे युद्धदुर्मदः । रणे कृत्वा महद् युद्ध घोरं त्रैलोक्यमोहनम्
sa jñātibāndhavaḥ śūraḥ samare yuddha-durmadaḥ | raṇe kṛtvā mahad yuddhaṃ ghoraṃ trailokya-mohanam ||
Sañjaya said: He was a heroic man, devoted to his kinsmen and allies, and in battle he grew fiercely intoxicated with the ardor of war. Having waged a great and dreadful fight on the field—one that seemed to bewilder the three worlds—he stood forth as a figure of overwhelming martial power, where loyalty to one’s own and the terrible momentum of violence move side by side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: valor and loyalty to one’s own people can coexist with a dangerous ‘intoxication’ of war. It implicitly warns that martial excellence, when driven by durmada (reckless pride/war-madness), can become morally blinding—so great that it ‘bewilders the three worlds’—and thus demands ethical restraint even amid kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (contextually, the previously mentioned fighter in the chapter) as heroic and bound to his kin and allies, who has just fought a massive, terrifying battle on the field. The description emphasizes the scale and psychological impact of the combat—so intense it seems to stun all realms.