Shloka 3
वज्नेण निहतो वृत्र: संयुगे भूरितेजसा । त्वया तु निहतः कर्णो धनुषा निशितै: शरै:,“वृत्रासुर युद्धमें महातेजस्वी वज्रके द्वारा मारा गया था; परंतु तुमने कर्णको धनुष एवं पैने बाणोंसे ही मार डाला है
vajreṇa nihato vṛtraḥ saṃyuge bhūritejasā | tvayā tu nihataḥ karṇo dhanuṣā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sanjaya said: In battle, Vṛtra was slain by the thunderbolt wielded by the exceedingly radiant one (Indra). But you have slain Karṇa, O Dhanañjaya, with a bow—by means of sharp arrows. The statement underscores extraordinary martial prowess: a foe once felled only by a divine weapon is here paralleled with Karṇa’s fall through human skill and steadfast effort, intensifying the moral weight and tragic grandeur of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the magnitude of Karṇa’s fall by comparing it to the mythic slaying of Vṛtra by Indra’s vajra. Ethically, it frames the event as a moment of grave consequence in the war: human agency and skill can achieve what is otherwise attributed to divine weaponry, thereby intensifying responsibility, fame, and the tragic cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, contrasting two slayings: Vṛtra was killed in battle by Indra’s thunderbolt, whereas Karṇa has been killed by the addressee (contextually Arjuna) using a bow and sharp arrows. The comparison serves to magnify the deed and the stature of the fallen warrior.