Shloka 176
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
सोर्डर्जुनेन हत: कर्ण: प्रतिमानं धनुष्मताम् । जो मेरे पुत्रोंका बल था, पाण्डवोंको जिससे सदा भय बना रहता था तथा जो धनुर्धर वीरोंके लिये आदर्श था, वह कर्ण अर्जुनके हाथसे मारा गया
so 'rjunena hataḥ karṇaḥ pratimānaṃ dhanuṣmatām |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Karna has been slain by Arjuna—Karna, the very standard among archers, the strength of my sons, and the one whose prowess kept the Pāṇḍavas in constant fear.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly power and reputation—even the ‘ideal’ of warriors—are fragile in the face of time and consequence. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s lament implicitly points to the ethical arc of the war: when a cause is sustained by adharma and attachment, even its greatest supports eventually fall, leaving only grief and reckoning.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra receives news that Karna, the chief pillar of the Kaurava side and a terror to the Pāṇḍavas, has been killed by Arjuna. The statement marks a decisive turning point in the Karṇa Parva, signaling a major collapse in Kaurava strength and morale.