Shloka 53
कर्णवधार्थं धनञ्जयस्य प्रतिज्ञा — Arjuna’s resolve for Karṇa’s defeat
इति श्रीमहाभारते कर्णपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे त्रिपठ्चाशत्तमो5ध्याय:
iti śrīmahābhārate karṇaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhe tripañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the fifty-third chapter in the Karṇa Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the section describing the confused and densely entangled battle. The narration marks a formal closure, underscoring the relentless complexity of war and the moral weight carried through its unfolding events.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon, the verse does not teach a doctrine directly; it frames the preceding events within the epic’s moral universe by emphasizing that the battle is 'saṅkula'—confused and entangled—hinting at the ethical complexity and human cost that accompany war.
This is a formal end-marker: Sañjaya’s narration closes the chapter, identifying it as the fifty-third chapter of the Karṇa Parva in the section describing the tumultuous battle.