Shloka 19
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
तस्मिन् हते भ्रातरि सूतपुत्रो वैकर्तनो वीर्यमथाददान: । प्रगृह् दन्ताविव नागराजो महर्षभं व्यात्र इवा भ्यधावत्
tasmin hate bhrātari sūtaputro vaikartano vīryam athādadānaḥ | pragṛhya dantāv iva nāgarājo maharṣabhaṃ vyāghra ivābhyadhāvat ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Lorsque son frère eut été abattu, Karṇa—fils de cocher, Vaikartana—brûlant de colère et désireux d’étaler sa prouesse, chargea tête baissée Arjuna et Uttara. Il se rua tel un seigneur des éléphants, défenses levées, pour heurter des cimes de montagne, ou tel un tigre bondissant sur un taureau puissant—image de l’élan farouche de la guerre, où le chagrin et la loyauté se durcissent en résolution violente.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief for a fallen kinsman can quickly transform into wrath and a thirst to prove oneself. Ethically, it illustrates a recurring Mahābhārata tension: personal loyalty and martial pride can intensify violence, even when dharma calls for restraint and discernment.
After Karṇa’s brother is killed, Karṇa becomes enraged and, seeking to demonstrate his valor, rushes to attack Arjuna and Uttara. The poet underscores the ferocity of his charge through vivid similes—an elephant with raised tusks and a tiger leaping on a powerful bull.