Shloka 40
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
पश्य कर्ण रणे पार्थ श्वेतच्छत्रविराजितम् | उदयं पर्वतं यद्वच्छशाड्केनाभिशोभितम्
paśya karṇa raṇe pārtha śvetacchatravirājitam | udayaṃ parvataṃ yadvac chaśāṅkenābhiśobhitam ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Mira, oh Pārtha, a Karṇa en el campo de batalla, resplandeciente bajo un blanco parasol real. Parece la montaña del oriente, hecha radiante por la luna sobre ella». El verso enmarca la presencia marcial de Karṇa con imaginería regia y cósmica, subrayando cómo el esplendor exterior y el honor en la guerra pueden ocultar el peligro interior y la tensión moral de un conflicto fratricida.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war exalts warriors with signs of honor and grandeur (the white parasol, cosmic comparisons), yet such splendor does not resolve the deeper ethical strain of the conflict; it invites reflection on the difference between outward glory and the inner moral cost of battle.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out Karṇa’s striking appearance on the battlefield and addresses Arjuna as ‘Pārtha,’ comparing Karṇa’s radiance under a white parasol to the eastern mountain beautified by the moon.