Shloka 363
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
पातित: समरे कर्णश्षृक्रव्यग्रो$ग्रणी्नणाम् । “मनुष्योंमें अग्रगण्य कर्ण अर्जुनको जीतनेकी इच्छासे उत्तम पराक्रम कर रहा था। उस समय नागराज अश्वसेनको जो कर्णके बाणके साथ अर्जुनके वधके लिये जा रहा था, तुमने अपने प्रयत्नसे विफल कर दिया। फिर जब कर्णके रथका पहिया गड्ढेमें गिर गया और वह उसे उठानेमें व्यग्रतापूर्वक संलग्न हुआ, उस समय उसे संकटसे पीड़ित एवं पराजित जानकर तुमलोगोंने मार गिराया
sañjaya uvāca | pātitaḥ samare karṇaḥ śakravyāghro 'graṇīnāṃ |
Sañjaya said: In the battle, Karṇa—foremost among the captains, a tiger among warriors—was struck down. With the intent to defeat Arjuna he was exerting his finest valor; yet when the serpent-king Aśvasena, riding upon Karṇa’s arrow to slay Arjuna, was thwarted by your effort, and later when Karṇa’s chariot-wheel sank into a rut and he struggled anxiously to lift it out, you, judging him distressed and pressed by peril, brought him down.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical strain within dharma-yuddha: even when valor is present, outcomes can hinge on circumstance and contested choices—such as whether it is righteous to strike an opponent when he is incapacitated by misfortune (here, the chariot-wheel stuck). It invites reflection on how duty, fairness, and necessity collide in war.
Sañjaya reports Karṇa’s fall in battle. Karṇa strives to defeat Arjuna; the serpent-king Aśvasena attempts to kill Arjuna by accompanying Karṇa’s arrow but is thwarted. Later Karṇa’s chariot-wheel sinks into a rut; while he struggles to free it, he is attacked and brought down, a moment presented as both decisive and morally fraught.