Mahabharata (Gita Press) 11.21.1 - Stree Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 1
अध्याय २१ — गान्धार्या वैकर्तनदर्शनम्
Gāndhārī’s Viewing of Vaikartana/Karṇa
अत---#क+ एकविशोड< ध्याय: गान्धारीके द्वारा कर्णको देखकर उसके शौर्य तथा उसकी स्त्रीके विलापका श्रीकृष्णके सम्मुख वर्णन गान्धायुवाच एष वैकर्तन: शेते महेष्वासो महारथ: । ज्वलितानलवत् संख्ये संशान्त: पार्थतेजसा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | eṣa vaikartanaḥ śete maheṣvāso mahārathaḥ | jvalitānalavat saṅkhye saṃśāntaḥ pārthatejasā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Here lies Vaikartana (Karna), a great archer and a foremost chariot-warrior. In the press of battle he blazed like a flaming fire, yet now he has been stilled—his ardor quenched by the splendor and might of Pārtha (Arjuna).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly power: even the most radiant hero, blazing in battle, is ultimately brought to stillness. In the Strīparvan context, this becomes an ethical meditation on the human cost of war and the inevitability of loss that follows adharma-driven conflict.
Vaiśampāyana points out Karna’s body on the battlefield, describing him as a supreme archer and great warrior who once shone like fire in combat, but who has now been slain—overpowered by Arjuna’s might. This observation feeds into the women’s lamentations that dominate the Strīparvan.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata (Gita Press) in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.