Shloka 30
कर्णपुत्रवधः (The Fall of Vṛṣasena) — Karṇa Parva, Adhyāya 62
दृष्टवा दुर्योधन चैव भीमग्रस्तं महाहवे । राजगृद्धी भूशं चैव शल्यवाक्यप्रचोदित:,पृथ्वीनाथ! शल्यकी यह बात सुनकर तथा महासमरमें दुर्योधनको भीमसेनसे ग्रस्त हुआ देखकर शल्यके वचनोंसे प्रेरित हो राजाको अधिक चाहनेवाला पराक्रमी कर्ण अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर और माद्रीकुमार पाण्डुपुत्र नकुल-सहदेवको छोड़कर आपके पुत्रकी रक्षा करनेके लिये दौड़ा
sañjaya uvāca | dṛṣṭvā duryodhanaṃ caiva bhīma-grastaṃ mahāhave | rāja-gṛddhī bhṛśaṃ caiva śalya-vākya-pracoditaḥ | pṛthvīnātha! śalya kī yaha bāta sunkara tathā mahāsamareṃ duryodhanako bhīmasenase grasta huā dekhkara śalyake vacanoṃse prerita ho rājāko adhika cāhanevālā parākrāmī karṇa ajātaśatru yudhiṣṭhira aura mādrīkumar pāṇḍuputra nakula-sahadevako choṛkara āpake putrakī rakṣā karaneke liye dauṛā ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Duryodhana seized by Bhīma in the great battle, and being strongly stirred by Śalya’s words, Karṇa—fiercely ambitious for kingship—rushed to protect your son. In doing so, he set aside the pursuit of Yudhiṣṭhira (the foe-less one) and the sons of Mādrī, Nakula and Sahadeva, and turned his effort toward rescuing Duryodhana amid the tumult of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how counsel and inner ambition can redirect a warrior’s priorities: Karṇa, driven both by loyalty to Duryodhana and by desire for royal success, abandons other targets to rescue his ally—showing the ethical tension between personal ambition, friendship, and battlefield duty.
In the thick of combat, Duryodhana is seen being seized/overpowered by Bhīma. Śalya’s words spur Karṇa into action, and Karṇa rushes to protect Duryodhana, leaving aside Yudhiṣṭhira and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.