Shloka 21
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
हंसवर्णान् हयान् भूय: प्रैषयद् यत्र पाण्डव: । आपके पुत्रोंको मारा गया देख सूतपुत्र कर्णके मनमें बड़ा दुःख हुआ। उसने हंसके समान अपने श्वेत घोड़ोंको पुनः वहीं हँकवाया, जहाँ पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन मौजूद थे || २०६ || ते प्रेषिता महाराज मद्रराजेन वाजिन:
sañjaya uvāca | haṃsavarṇān hayān bhūyaḥ praiṣayad yatra pāṇḍavaḥ | āpake putroṅ ko mārā gayā dekh sūtaputra karṇake man meṃ baṛā duḥkha huā | usne haṃsake samān apne śveta ghoṛoṅ ko punaḥ vahīṃ hāṅkavāyā, jahāṃ pāṇḍuputra bhīmasena maujūd the || 206 || te preṣitā mahārāja madrarājena vājinaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Voyant tes fils abattus, Karṇa —le fils du cocher— fut saisi d’une douleur profonde. Il lança de nouveau ses chevaux, blancs comme des cygnes, vers l’endroit même où se tenait le Pāṇḍava Bhīmasena. Ces coursiers, ô Roi, avaient été poussés par le roi de Madra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how grief in battle can quickly transform into renewed violence: instead of pausing for reflection, the warrior channels sorrow into retaliation. It also points to the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma—pressing on in war despite personal anguish—while showing how external drivers (the charioteer/ally) can intensify conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, distressed after seeing Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons killed, orders his swan-white horses to be driven again toward Bhīma’s position. The horses are being urged on by the king of Madra, Śalya, who serves as Karṇa’s charioteer.