Shloka 37
कथं नु पापोदयमपेतध धर्म: सूतात्मज: समरेउद्य प्रसहा । पज्चालानां योधमुख्याननेकान् निजघ्निवांस्तव जिष्णो समक्षम्
kathaṃ nu pāpodayam apetadharmaḥ sūtātmajaḥ samare ’dyaprasahā | pāñcālānāṃ yodhamukhyān anekān nijaghnivāṃs tava jiṣṇoḥ samakṣam ||
Sañjaya dit : «Comment se fait-il que le fils d’un cocher—en qui le péché s’est levé et qui s’est écarté du dharma—aujourd’hui, dans la bataille, avec une force téméraire, ait abattu tant de chefs guerriers des Pāñcāla sous les yeux mêmes de Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), l’adversaire de ton fils ?» La scène révèle la sombre inversion morale de la guerre : la prouesse et la fureur semblent l’emporter même lorsque la droiture est éclipsée.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: martial success can occur even when dharma is eclipsed. Sañjaya’s astonishment frames Karṇa’s violent effectiveness as a sign of adharma’s temporary ascendancy, reminding the listener that battlefield outcomes do not automatically validate moral rightness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, fighting with force and disregard for dharma, has slain many leading Pāñcāla warriors, and that this has happened in Arjuna’s very presence—underscoring both Karṇa’s ferocity and the intensity of the ongoing battle.