Shloka 21
कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः
Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana
मध्ये कुरूणां सुहृदां च मध्ये ये चाप्यन्ये योद्धुकामा: समेता: । “श्रीकृष्ण! मैं कौरवों, सुह्दों तथा अन्य जो लोग युद्धकी इच्छासे एकत्र हुए हैं, उन सबके बीचमें आज सूतपुत्र कर्णके अधीन हो गया। मेरे जीवनको धिक््कार है ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
madhe kurūṇāṁ suhṛdāṁ ca madhe ye cāpy anye yoddhukāmāḥ sametāḥ |
“śrīkṛṣṇa! ahaṁ kauravānāṁ suhṛdāṁ tathānyeṣāṁ ca yuddhecchayā sametānāṁ sarveṣāṁ madhye ’dya sūtaputra-karṇasyādhīno ’bhavam | dhig me jīvitam ||
ekaḥ tu me bhīmaseno ’dya nātho yenābhipanno ’smi raṇe mahābhaye |
vimocya māṁ cāpi ruṣānvitastataḥ śareṇa tīkṣṇena bibheda karṇam ||
tyaktvā prāṇān samare bhīmasenaḥ śakre yuddhaṁ kurubhiḥ sametaiḥ |
gadāgrahastaḥ rudhiro kṣitāḍuḥ śvuran raṇe kāla ivāntakāle |
asau hi bhīmasya mahān ninādo muhur muhuḥ śrūyate dhārtarāṣṭraiḥ ||
yadi saṁ jīvet sa bhaven nihantā mahārathānāṁ pravaro rathottamaḥ |
tavābhimanyustanayo ’dya pārtha na cāsmi gantā samare parābhavam ||”
Sañjaya said: “In the midst of the Kurus, in the midst of friends, and among the other warriors assembled with the desire to fight—O Kṛṣṇa—today I found myself brought under the power of Karṇa, the charioteer’s son. Shame on my life! Today Bhīmasena alone has been my protector. In that great and terrifying battle he shielded me on every side; then, freeing me from danger and filled with wrath, he pierced Karṇa with a sharp arrow. Though drenched in blood, Bhīma moved about the battlefield with mace in hand like Death at the end of time, casting aside all attachment to life and fighting the gathered Kurus. Again and again the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra heard his mighty lion-roar. If he survives, he will become a slayer—the foremost of great chariot-warriors, a supreme fighter. O Pārtha, your grandson, the son of Abhimanyu, lives today; and I shall not go to defeat in this battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights battlefield dharma as protection of comrades and steadfast courage: Bhima’s fierce resolve saves an ally, while Sanjaya’s self-reproach underscores the moral weight of dependence, honor, and survival amid catastrophic violence.
Sanjaya reports that he was overwhelmed by Karna but was rescued by Bhima, who—enraged—struck Karna with a sharp arrow and continued to roam the field blood-soaked with mace in hand, roaring repeatedly. Sanjaya adds that Abhimanyu’s son (Parikshit) is alive and expresses confidence against defeat.