Shloka 28
वधेन कर्णस्य तु दुःखितास्ते हा कर्ण हा कर्ण इति ब्रुवाणा: | द्रुतं प्रयाता: शिबिराणि राजन् दिवाकरं रक्तमवेक्षमाणा:,महाराज! समस्त कौरव कर्णके वधसे अत्यन्त दुःखी हो “हा कर्ण! हा कर्ण!” की रट लगाते और लाल सूर्यकी ओर देखते हुए बड़े वेगसे शिबिरकी ओर चले
vadhenakarṇasya tu duḥkhitāste hā karṇa hā karṇa iti bruvāṇāḥ | drutaṃ prayātāḥ śibirāṇi rājan divākaraṃ raktam avekṣamāṇāḥ ||
Śalya said: Grief-stricken by Karṇa’s death, they kept crying, “Alas, Karṇa! Alas, Karṇa!” and, O king, swiftly made their way back to the camp, all the while looking up at the sun, now red—an ominous witness to the day’s slaughter and the collapse of their hope.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war: even mighty warriors become overwhelmed by grief when a pillar of their cause falls. It also uses the red sun as an ominous image, suggesting that violence stains not only the battlefield but the moral atmosphere, reminding readers that victory and loss alike carry suffering.
After Karṇa is slain, the Kaurava side is devastated. They cry out his name in lament and quickly retreat toward their camp, looking at the sun appearing red—an evocative sign of the day’s dreadful turn and their shaken morale.