Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 3
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
वैशम्पायन उवाच श्रुत्वा कर्णस्य निधनमश्रद्धेयमिवाद्भधुतम् । भूतसम्मोहनं भीम॑ मेरो: संसर्पणं यथा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śrutvā karṇasya nidhanam aśraddheyam ivādbhutam | bhūta-sammohanaṁ bhīmaṁ meroḥ saṁsarpaṇaṁ yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : En apprenant la mort de Karṇa, on la trouva prodigieuse, presque incroyable. Cet événement terrible jeta le trouble sur tous les êtres, comme si le mont Meru avait quitté la place qui lui était assignée pour se déplacer ailleurs.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mightiest fall; when a pillar of power collapses, it feels like the cosmic order itself has shifted. The verse highlights impermanence and the moral-psychological shock that follows great violence.
Vaiśampāyana describes the reaction to the news of Karṇa’s death: it is received as an almost impossible, world-upending event, likened to Mount Meru moving from its fixed place.