Shloka 523
युध्यन्तं कौरवान् संख्ये घातयन्तं च सूतजम् । “आज समस्त सैनिक देखें कि संग्रामभूमिमें अमर्षशील धनंजय किस प्रकार कौरवोंसे युद्ध करता और सूतपुत्र कर्णको मारता है
yudhyantaṃ kauravān saṅkhye ghātayantaṃ ca sūtajam |
Dijo Sañjaya: «Hoy, que todos los soldados sean testigos de cómo el fiero e inflexible Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) combate a los Kauravas en el campo de batalla, y de cómo derriba a Karṇa, el hijo del auriga».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that warfare in the epic is not merely private violence but a publicly witnessed test of kṣatriya resolve and consequence. Sañjaya’s framing invites ethical evaluation: courage and duty are displayed before the community, yet the outcome is lethal and irrevocable.
Sañjaya announces that the assembled troops will see Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) fighting the Kauravas in the thick of battle and bringing about the death of Karṇa (called ‘sūtaja’). It functions as a dramatic lead-in to the climactic Arjuna–Karṇa confrontation.