Shloka 3
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
तानवेक्ष्य नरश्रेष्ठ विमना दु:खितस्तदा । नि:श्वसन् दीर्घमुष्णं च पुन: पाण्डवम भ्ययात्,नरश्रेष्ठ उनकी वह अवस्था देखकर उस समय कर्णको बहुत दुःख हुआ। उसका मन उदास हो गया। वह गरम-गरम लंबी साँस खींचता हुआ पुनः पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनके सामने आया
tān avekṣya naraśreṣṭha vimanā duḥkhitas tadā | niḥśvasan dīrgham uṣṇaṃ ca punaḥ pāṇḍavam abhyayāt ||
Melihat mereka dalam keadaan demikian, wahai yang terbaik di antara manusia, Karna menjadi muram dan sangat berduka. Sambil menarik napas panjang yang terasa panas, ia kembali maju menghadapi Pāṇḍava—Bhīmasena.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner cost of violence: even a mighty warrior can be shaken by what he witnesses, yet he returns to action. It frames battlefield conduct as a tension between human sorrow and the kṣatriya imperative to continue one’s appointed duty.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa’s reaction after seeing the situation before him: Karṇa becomes dejected and sorrowful, exhales long, heated breaths, and then advances again toward the Pāṇḍava—identified in the received context as Bhīmasena—re-entering the confrontation.