Shloka 286
शोकार्णवे निमग्नो5डहमप्लव: सागरे यथा । रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ उस धर्मात्मा कर्णको द्वैरथयुद्धमें मारा गया सुनकर मैं समुद्रमें नौकारहित पुरुषकी भाँति शोक-सागरमें निमग्न हो गया हूँ
śokārṇave nimagno ’ham aplavaḥ sāgare yathā | rathīnāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ taṃ dharmātmānaṃ karṇaṃ dvairathayuddhe māritaṃ śrutvā samudre naukārahita iva śoka-sāgare nimagno ’smi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “On hearing that Karṇa—righteous at heart and foremost among chariot-warriors—had been slain in a duel between two chariots, I sank into an ocean of grief, like a man in the sea without a boat. The fall of such a hero, and the moral weight of his death amid fratricidal war, overwhelms the listener with sorrow.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the death of a great warrior—especially one described as dharmātmā—creates profound moral and emotional shock. It underscores the ethical tragedy of war: even when victory is achieved, the loss of noble figures can feel like drowning in grief, reminding the listener that dharma and human cost remain central to the epic’s reflection on conflict.
Vaiśampāyana describes his reaction upon hearing that Karṇa, foremost among chariot-fighters, has been slain in a chariot duel. He uses a simile: like a boatless man sinking in the sea, he feels submerged in an ocean of sorrow.