Shloka 78
“रणभूमिमें अभिमन्युके सामने खड़े होनेकी शक्ति कर्णमें नहीं रह गयी थी। वह सुभद्राकुमारके बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न हो खूनसे लथपथ एवं अचेत हो गया था ।।
niḥśvasan krodha-saṃdīpto vimukhaḥ sāyakārdītaḥ | apayāna-kṛtotsāho nirāśaś cāpi jīvite ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Jadeando con fuerza y encendido de ira, Karṇa—herido y hostigado por las flechas de Abhimanyu—se apartó del combate. Su ánimo se inclinaba ya sólo a la retirada, y hasta había perdido la esperanza de conservar la vida. La escena muestra cómo, en la guerra, el orgullo y la cólera pueden derrumbarse en desesperación cuando se enfrentan a un valor superior y a una destreza implacable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth of the battlefield: anger does not guarantee strength. When one’s conduct is driven by wrath and ego rather than steady dharma and discipline, courage can quickly degrade into panic and hopelessness under pressure.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, struck repeatedly by Abhimanyu’s arrows, is in visible distress—panting, enraged, yet turning away from combat. His resolve shifts toward retreat, and he becomes doubtful even about surviving.