Shloka 166
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
अप्यपश्यत राधेयं शीतार्ता इव भास्करम् | धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--सूत! तत्पश्चात् दुर्योधनने क्या किया। मूर्खो! तुमलोगोंका मन जो वैकर्तन कर्णकी ओर गया था
apy apaśyata rādhēyaṁ śītārtā iva bhāskaram |
Dijo Sañjaya: «¿Acaso mirasteis todos hacia Rādheya (Karna) como las criaturas afligidas por el frío miran al sol?» La frase subraya que, en la crisis de la batalla, la esperanza y la atención del bando kaurava se volvieron hacia Karna como hacia una única fuente de alivio y fortaleza, revelando a la vez la dependencia de un campeón y la tensión moral de buscar amparo en el mero poder marcial antes que en el dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a simile to show how people in distress instinctively turn to what they believe can save them. Ethically, it highlights the difference between relying on sheer power (a heroic warrior) and relying on dharma; in crisis, attachment to a single strong protector can eclipse moral discernment.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out that the Kaurava side’s gaze and expectation were fixed on Karna, as if he were the sun to those suffering from cold—implying that they saw him as their chief hope in the unfolding combat.