Shloka 21
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
युध्यमानं रणे कर्ण कुरुवीरो व्यपालयत् । भरतश्रेष्ठ। भाइयोंसहित कुरुवीर दुर्योधन कौरववीरों तथा मद्रदेशीय महारथियोंसे सुरक्षित हो रणभूमिमें पाण्डवों, पांचालों, चेदिदेशके वीरों तथा सात्यकिके साथ जूझते हुए कर्णकी रक्षा करने लगा || १९-२० $ ।। कर्णो5पि निशितैर्बाणैविनिहत्य महाचमूम्
sañjaya uvāca |
yudhyamānaṃ raṇe karṇaṃ kuruvīro vyapālayat | bharataśreṣṭha | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ kuruvīro duryodhanaḥ kauravavīrān tathā madradeśīyān mahārathīn parigṛhya raṇabhūmau pāṇḍavān pāñcālāṃś ca cedideśasya vīrān sātyakiṃ ca saha yudhyamānaḥ karṇasya rakṣāṃ cakāra ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô le meilleur des Bhārata, tandis que Karṇa combattait avec fureur sur le champ de bataille, le héros Kuru le protégeait. Ses frères à ses côtés, Duryodhana—entouré des champions kaurava et des grands guerriers de char de Madra—entra dans la mêlée et, combattant les Pāṇḍava, les Pañcāla, les héros de Cedi et Sātyaki, prit sur lui la charge de garder Karṇa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of loyalty and protective duty within a warrior alliance: Duryodhana treats Karṇa as a pivotal ally whose safety is strategically and personally essential, illustrating how kṣatriya obligations (rakṣā, yuddha) operate even amid morally fraught conflict.
As Karṇa fights, Duryodhana—accompanied by his brothers and supported by Kaurava warriors and Madra chariot-champions—engages the opposing forces (Pāṇḍavas, Pāñcālas, Cedi heroes, and Sātyaki) while specifically acting to protect Karṇa on the battlefield.