Shloka 39
ततः समक्ष स्वसुतं विलोक्य कर्णो हतं श्वेतहयेन संख्ये । संरम्भमागम्य परं महात्मा कृष्णार्जुनी सहसैवा भ्यधावत्,अपने पुत्रको अपनी आँखोंके सामने ही युद्धमें श्वेतवाहन अर्जुनद्वारा मारा गया देख महामनस्वी कर्णको महान् क्रोध हुआ तथा उसने श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनपर सहसा आक्रमण कर दिया
tataḥ samakṣaṃ svasutaṃ vilokya karṇo hataṃ śvetahayena saṅkhye | saṃrambham āgamya paraṃ mahātmā kṛṣṇārjunī sahasaivābhyadhāvat ||
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa, seeing before his very eyes his own son slain in battle by Arjuna of the white steeds, was seized by an overwhelming fury. The great warrior, driven by that rage, suddenly rushed to attack Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal loss in war can ignite overpowering anger that drives immediate retaliation. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning: even a ‘great-souled’ warrior can be swept into destructive impulsiveness when grief turns into rage, intensifying the cycle of violence.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa witnesses his son being killed in the battle by Arjuna (described as white-steeded). Overcome with intense fury, Karṇa immediately charges toward Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna to attack them.