Shloka 19
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
तस्मिन् हते भ्रातरि सूतपुत्रो वैकर्तनो वीर्यमथाददान: । प्रगृह् दन्ताविव नागराजो महर्षभं व्यात्र इवा भ्यधावत्
tasmin hate bhrātari sūtaputro vaikartano vīryam athādadānaḥ | pragṛhya dantāv iva nāgarājo maharṣabhaṃ vyāghra ivābhyadhāvat ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Cuando su hermano hubo caído, Karṇa—hijo del auriga, Vaikartana—ardiendo de ira y ansioso por mostrar su valor, se lanzó de frente contra Arjuna y Uttara. Arremetió como un elefante soberano que alza los colmillos para chocar contra las cumbres de la montaña, o como un tigre que se abalanza sobre un toro poderoso: imagen del ímpetu feroz de la guerra, donde el duelo y la lealtad se endurecen en resolución violenta.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief for a fallen kinsman can quickly transform into wrath and a thirst to prove oneself. Ethically, it illustrates a recurring Mahābhārata tension: personal loyalty and martial pride can intensify violence, even when dharma calls for restraint and discernment.
After Karṇa’s brother is killed, Karṇa becomes enraged and, seeking to demonstrate his valor, rushes to attack Arjuna and Uttara. The poet underscores the ferocity of his charge through vivid similes—an elephant with raised tusks and a tiger leaping on a powerful bull.