Shloka 39
ततः समक्ष स्वसुतं विलोक्य कर्णो हतं श्वेतहयेन संख्ये । संरम्भमागम्य परं महात्मा कृष्णार्जुनी सहसैवा भ्यधावत्
tataḥ samakṣaṃ svasutaṃ vilokya karṇo hataṃ śvetahayena saṅkhye | saṃrambham āgamya paraṃ mahātmā kṛṣṇārjunī sahasaivābhyadhāvat ||
Sañjaya dijo: Entonces Karna, al ver ante sus propios ojos a su hijo muerto en combate por Arjuna, el de los corceles blancos, fue presa de una furia desbordante. El gran guerrero, impulsado por esa ira, se lanzó de pronto a atacar a Kṛṣṇa y a Arjuna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal loss in war can ignite overpowering anger that drives immediate retaliation. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning: even a ‘great-souled’ warrior can be swept into destructive impulsiveness when grief turns into rage, intensifying the cycle of violence.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa witnesses his son being killed in the battle by Arjuna (described as white-steeded). Overcome with intense fury, Karṇa immediately charges toward Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna to attack them.