Shloka 75
स वत्सदन्तै: पृथुपीनवक्षा: समाचित: सो<थिरथिर्विभाति । सुपुष्पिताशोकपलाशशाल्मलि- य॑थाचलक्षन्दनकाननायुत:
sa vatsadantaiḥ pṛthupīnavakṣāḥ samācitaḥ so 'thirathir vibhāti | supuṣpitāśokapalāśaśālmalī-yathācalakṣandanakānanāyutaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa, the son of Adhiratha—broad and full-chested—became covered all over with the ‘Vatsadanta’ arrows, and yet appeared resplendent, like a mountain clothed in groves of sandalwood and in the blossoming foliage of aśoka, palāśa, and śālmalī.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness under suffering: even when wounded and surrounded by instruments of death, a warrior is praised for maintaining composure and radiance. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s tension between the horror of violence and the cultural valorization of courage and endurance in righteous combat.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa’s body has been thoroughly pierced and covered by ‘Vatsadanta’ arrows. Despite the wounds, Karṇa appears splendid, and the poet uses a vivid nature-simile: he looks like a mountain adorned with blossoming forests—turning the battlefield image into a striking, tragic beauty.