Shloka 42
प्रताप्य पाण्डवान् सर्वान् पञ्चालांश्चास्त्रतेजसा
pratāpya pāṇḍavān sarvān pāñcālāṁś cāstratejasā | śatrusenāṁ ca bāṇavarṣair ātapya sahasrakiraṇavat sūrya iva jagati pratāpaṁ vikirya vaikartanaḥ karṇaḥ putrair vāhanaiś ca saha hataḥ | yācakarūpipakṣisaṅghasya kalpavṛkṣa iva sa karṇaḥ nipātitaḥ ||
शल्य बोले—अस्त्रों के तेज से समस्त पाण्डवों और पाञ्चालों को संतप्त करके, बाणों की वर्षा से शत्रु-सेना को तपाकर, सहस्र-किरण सूर्य के समान अपने प्रताप को जगत् में फैलाकर—वैकर्तन कर्ण अपने पुत्रों, सारथियों और वाहनों सहित मारा गया। जो याचक-रूपी पक्षियों के समुदाय के लिये कल्पवृक्ष के समान था, वही कर्ण धराशायी हुआ।
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes Karṇa’s overwhelming martial brilliance with his fall, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethic: worldly glory and power are impermanent, while moral qualities—here, Karṇa’s famed generosity to supplicants—remain the enduring measure of a person.
Śalya describes Karṇa’s fierce performance in battle—burning the Pāṇḍavas and Pāñcālas with weapon-power and arrow-showers—then states that Karṇa was ultimately killed along with his sons and attendants, despite being renowned as a ‘kalpavṛkṣa’ to those who sought his gifts.