Shloka 34
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
सजीवांश्वापरान् पश्य कूजमानान् समन्ततः,'प्रजापालक अर्जुन! उन दूसरे योद्धाओंपर दृष्टिपात करो जिनके प्राण अभीतक शेष हैं और जो चारों ओर कराह रहे हैं। उनके बहुसंख्यक कुटुम्बीजन हथियार डालकर उनके निकट आ बैठे हैं और बारंबार रो रहे हैं
sañjaya uvāca | sajīvān aśvān aparān paśya kūjamānān samantataḥ | prajā-pālaka arjuna |
Sañjaya said: “O Arjuna, protector of the people, look upon those other horses that still have life in them—wailing all around. Near them, their many attendants and kinsmen have cast aside their weapons, sat close by, and are weeping again and again.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral cost of war: suffering extends beyond warriors to animals and dependents, and even those not actively fighting are driven to grief and helplessness. It implicitly urges a ruler-protector (prajā-pālaka) to recognize the wider circle of harm and the duty of compassion amid kṣatriya action.
Sañjaya addresses Arjuna and directs his attention to other horses on the battlefield that are still alive but crying out in pain. Their attendants/companions have abandoned weapons and sit near them, repeatedly lamenting—an image of the battlefield’s aftermath and the breakdown of martial posture into mourning.