Shloka 3
वज्नेण निहतो वृत्र: संयुगे भूरितेजसा । त्वया तु निहतः कर्णो धनुषा निशितै: शरै:,“वृत्रासुर युद्धमें महातेजस्वी वज्रके द्वारा मारा गया था; परंतु तुमने कर्णको धनुष एवं पैने बाणोंसे ही मार डाला है
vajreṇa nihato vṛtraḥ saṃyuge bhūritejasā | tvayā tu nihataḥ karṇo dhanuṣā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: En la batalla, Vṛtra fue abatido por el rayo del de fulgor inmenso (Indra). Pero tú has abatido a Karṇa, ¡oh Dhanañjaya!, con un arco, mediante flechas agudas. La afirmación subraya una destreza marcial extraordinaria: a un enemigo que antaño sólo cayó ante un arma divina se le equipara aquí con la caída de Karṇa por la pericia humana y el esfuerzo tenaz, intensificando el peso moral y la grandeza trágica de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the magnitude of Karṇa’s fall by comparing it to the mythic slaying of Vṛtra by Indra’s vajra. Ethically, it frames the event as a moment of grave consequence in the war: human agency and skill can achieve what is otherwise attributed to divine weaponry, thereby intensifying responsibility, fame, and the tragic cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, contrasting two slayings: Vṛtra was killed in battle by Indra’s thunderbolt, whereas Karṇa has been killed by the addressee (contextually Arjuna) using a bow and sharp arrows. The comparison serves to magnify the deed and the stature of the fallen warrior.