जिसके कवच, आभूषण, वस्त्र और अस्त्र-शस्त्र छिन्न-भिन्न होकर पड़े थे, उस महाबली कर्णको अर्जुनद्वारा मारा गया देख कौरव-सैनिक निर्जन वनमें साँड़के मारे जानेपर भागनेवाली गायोंके समान इधर-उधर भाग चले ।।
bhīmaś ca bhīmeṇa tadā svanena nādaṃ kṛtvā rodasīḥ kampayānaḥ | āsphoṭayan valgati nṛtyate ca hate karṇe trāsayan dhārtarāṣṭrān ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīma, with his fearsome roar, raised a thunderous cry that seemed to shake both heaven and earth. Clapping his hands, he leapt about and even danced; for Karṇa had been slain, and Bhīma’s exultation struck terror into the sons and soldiers of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the moral-psychological dimension of war: the death of a central champion (Karṇa) breaks collective confidence, while the victor’s side may display overpowering triumph that becomes a weapon of fear. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven reliance on a single strongman is fragile, and that battlefield outcomes reshape minds as much as bodies.
After Karṇa has been killed, Bhīma erupts in celebration—roaring, clapping, leaping, and dancing—so loudly that it is said to shake heaven and earth. His display terrifies the Dhṛtarāṣṭra faction, intensifying their panic in the wake of Karṇa’s fall.