Shloka 48
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
क्षणेनासीन्महीपाल क्षतजैधिप्रवर्तिनी । पञ्चालानहनत् कर्णस्त्रिगर्ताश्न धनंजय:,भूपाल! क्षणभरमें वहाँ भूतलपर खूनकी नदी बह चली। कर्णने पंचालोंका और अर्जुनने त्रिगर्तोंका संहार कर डाला
kṣaṇenāsīnmahīpāla kṣatajaughapravartinī | pañcālān ahanat karṇas trigartān dhanañjayaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, en un instant le sol se mit à couler comme un fleuve, en torrents de sang. Karṇa abattit les Pañcālas, tandis que Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) massacrait les Trigartas — image de la dévastation prompte et aveugle de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying speed and scale of battlefield destruction: once war is fully engaged, bloodshed becomes a ‘flood,’ and even renowned heroes enact their kṣatriya-duty through mass killing—highlighting the ethical tension between dharma-as-duty and the human cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the fighting intensifies: the ground is drenched as if a river of blood flows; Karṇa devastates the Pañcāla forces, and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) annihilates the Trigarta warriors.