Shloka 9
हत्वा तु समरे कर्ण त्वमद्य निशितै: शरै: । विपुलां प्रीतिमाधत्स्व धर्मपुत्रस्य मानद,“मानद! आज तुम तीखे बाणोंसे समरभूमिमें कर्णका वध करके धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके हृदयमें अत्यन्त हर्षोल्लास भर दो
hatvā tu samare karṇa tvam adya niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | vipulāṃ prītim ādhatsva dharmaputrasya mānada ||
Sañjaya said: “Having slain Karṇa today in the battle with your keen arrows, bring abundant joy into the heart of Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira), O bestower of honor.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield action in terms of kṣatriya-duty and collective morale: defeating a formidable foe is presented not as personal triumph alone but as an act that restores confidence and joy to the righteous king (Dharmaputra), reinforcing the ethical-political aim of sustaining dharma through rightful victory.
Sañjaya reports an exhortation directed at a warrior: to slay Karṇa that very day with sharp arrows, thereby filling Yudhiṣṭhira’s heart with great joy—implying Karṇa’s fall is pivotal for the Pāṇḍavas’ hopes and the war’s momentum.