Shloka 23
कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः
Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana
तृणं च कृत्वा समरे भवन्तं ततो<5हमेवं निकृतो दुरात्मना । वैकर्तनेनैव तथा कृतो5हं यथा हाुशक्त: क्रियते हबान्धव:
tṛṇaṁ ca kṛtvā samare bhavantaṁ tato ’ham evaṁ nikṛto durātmanā | vaikartanenaiva tathā kṛto ’haṁ yathā hīnaśaktaḥ kriyate hy abandhavaḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «En el campo de batalla, tomándote a la ligera como si fueras simple paja, ese hombre de alma perversa me ha humillado así. Vaikartana (Karna) me ha tratado exactamente como se trata a un desvalido: sin fuerza y sin parientes que lo respalden».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ugliness of exploiting another’s vulnerability: treating someone as insignificant (“like straw”) and as if they have no support is portrayed as the act of a durātman (wicked-minded person), underscoring that power in war can be used either with restraint or with contempt.
Sañjaya reports a moment of grievance and dishonor: Karna (Vaikartana) has, in the context of battle, dismissed the addressed person as worthless and treated him like a powerless, friendless man—an explicit description of humiliation inflicted amid the conflict.