Shloka 53
शशिप्रकाशाननमर्जुनो यदा क्षुरेण कर्णस्य शिरो न्यपातयत् । तदान्तरिक्षे सहसैव शब्दो बभूव हाहेति सुरैर्विमुक्त:,जिस समय अर्जुनने क्षुरके द्वारा कर्णके चन्द्रमाके समान कान्तिमान् मुखवाले मस्तकको काट गिराया, उस समय आकाशमें देवताओंके मुखसे निकला हुआ हाहाकारका शब्द गूँज उठा
śaśiprakāśānanaṃ arjuno yadā kṣureṇa karṇasya śiro nyapātayat | tadāntarikṣe sahasaiva śabdo babhūva hāheti surair vimuktaḥ ||
Śalya said: “When Arjuna, with a razor-sharp weapon, struck down Karṇa’s head—his face shining like the moon—at that very moment a sudden cry of ‘Hā hā!’ burst forth in the sky, released by the gods.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grave moral and emotional weight of righteous war: even when an act is performed within the demands of dharma and duty, the fall of a great warrior is a cosmic tragedy, acknowledged by the gods’ lament.
Śalya describes the decisive moment when Arjuna strikes down Karṇa, severing and felling his head with a razor-sharp weapon; immediately, a loud lamentation—“hā hā”—resounds in the sky, uttered by the gods.