Shloka 27
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
अरौत्सीत् पार्थिवं क्षत्रमृते यादवकौरवान् । त॑ श्रुत्वा निहतं कर्ण द्वैरथे सव्यसाचिना
arautsīt pārthivaṃ kṣatram ṛte yādava-kauravān | taṃ śrutvā nihataṃ karṇaṃ dvairathe savyasācinā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The royal warrior host raised a great outcry—except for the Yādavas and the Kauravas. Hearing that Karṇa had been slain by Savyasācin (Arjuna) in the duel of chariots, the rest were shaken into lamentation and alarm.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological weight of war: the fall of a great warrior like Karṇa sends shockwaves through the broader kṣatriya world, revealing how fame, fear, and grief shape conduct. It also points to factional conditioning—those most tightly bound to the immediate parties (Yādavas and Kauravas) are portrayed as not joining the general outcry, suggesting restraint, political calculation, or hardened loyalty amid catastrophe.
News spreads that Karṇa has been slain by Arjuna (Savyasācin) in a direct chariot-to-chariot duel. The assembled royal warriors react with a loud cry of lamentation and alarm, while the Yādavas and Kauravas are singled out as exceptions to this general outburst.