Shloka 9
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
कर्ण पश्य सुददुर्बुद्धे तिछेदानीं नराधम । एष तेड्द्य शिर: कायादुद्धरामि सुदुर्मते,दुर्बद्धि नराधम! कर्ण! तू देख और खड़ा रह। दुर्मते! मैं अभी तेरा सिर धड़से उतार लेता हूँ
karṇa paśya su-dur-buddhe tiṣṭhedānīṁ narādhama | eṣa te ’dya śiraḥ kāyād uddharāmi su-durmate durbuddhi narādhama ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Karṇa! Lihatlah dan tetaplah berdiri, wahai yang amat sesat, hina di antara manusia. Hari ini juga, wahai yang berniat jahat, akan kucabut kepalamu dari tubuhmu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war inflames speech into cruelty and dehumanization; it serves as a caution that even in righteous conflict, loss of self-control and contemptuous language can signal ethical decline and harden violence.
In the Drona Parva battle setting, a warrior (reported by Sañjaya) challenges Karṇa with a direct threat of decapitation, using harsh epithets to intimidate and provoke him in the midst of combat.