Shloka 39
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
ततः: कर्णो महाराज रोषामर्षसमन्वित:,महाराज! तब रोष और अमर्षमें भरे हुए कर्णने पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेनपर पचीस नाराचोंका प्रहार किया। साथ ही अन्य बहुत-से बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें घायल कर दिया और एक बाणसे उनकी ध्वजा काट डाली
tataḥ karṇo mahārāja roṣāmarṣa-samanvitaḥ pāṇḍuputra-bhīmasenam pañcaviṃśatyā nārācaiḥ samāhanat | anyaiś ca bahubhiḥ śaraiḥ saṃvraṇayām āsa, ekena ca śareṇa tasya dhvajam acchinat |
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa, O King, filled with wrath and wounded pride, struck Bhīmasena—the son of Pāṇḍu—with twenty-five nārāca arrows. With many other shafts he further wounded him, and with a single arrow he cut down Bhīma’s banner.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how roṣa (anger) and amarṣa (wounded pride) can drive a warrior to intensified aggression. Ethically, it points to the inner causes that escalate conflict: when honor becomes entangled with resentment, violence expands beyond necessity, even targeting symbols like a banner to break morale.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, enraged, strikes Bhīma with twenty-five powerful nārāca arrows, wounds him further with many other arrows, and then severs Bhīma’s banner with a single shot—an act meant to diminish Bhīma’s battlefield prestige and confidence.