Shloka 8
कृत्वा विमर्द महदर्जुनेन कर्णो हत: केसरिणेव नाग: । तीर्णा प्रतिज्ञा पुरुषर्षभेण वैरस्यान्तं गतवांश्षापि पार्थ:
kṛtvā vimardaṃ mahad arjunena karṇo hataḥ kesariṇeva nāgaḥ | tīrṇā pratijñā puruṣarṣabheṇa vairasyāntaṃ gatavān so’pi pārthaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: After a great and crushing combat had been wrought by Arjuna, Karṇa was slain—like an elephant brought down by a lion. Thus the bull among men, Pārtha (Arjuna), fulfilled his vow and brought the long-standing enmity to its end.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a solemn vow (pratijñā) and the harsh moral terrain of kṣatriya-dharma: even when the outcome is tragic, a warrior is portrayed as obligated to complete a pledged duty and bring a conflict to its decisive end.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, after an intense battle, kills Karṇa. The simile compares Karṇa’s fall to an elephant felled by a lion. Arjuna thereby completes his vow and ends the enmity centered on this duel.