Shloka 50
धृष्टद्युम्न: शिखण्डी च पाण्डुपाज्चालसृञ्जया: । पूजयन्ति सम कौन्तेयं निहते सूतनन्दने
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca pāṇḍupāñcālasṛñjayāḥ | pūjayanti sma kaunteyaṃ nihate sūtanandane rājendra |
Sañjaya said: When Karṇa, the son of the charioteer, had been slain, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and the warriors of the Pāṇḍavas, the Pāñcālas, and the Sṛñjayas began to honor and praise Arjuna, the son of Kuntī. In the moral atmosphere of the war, this acclaim marks the recognition of decisive valor and the fulfillment of a grim duty, even as it underscores how victory in battle is publicly validated by one’s allies after the fall of a formidable foe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in a dharma-framed war, communal recognition follows decisive action: allies publicly honor the warrior who accomplishes a difficult duty. It also hints at the ethical tension of celebrating victory that is inseparable from death and loss.
After Karṇa has been killed, leading Pāṇḍava-aligned fighters—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and the Pāṇḍava–Pāñcāla–Sṛñjaya troops—praise and honor Arjuna. Sañjaya reports this to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra.