Shloka 85
हस्तिकक्षो हासौ कृष्ण केतु: कर्णस्य धीमतः । दृश्यते राजसैन्यस्य मध्ये विचरतो मुदा,“उधर वह सूृंजयोंकी विशाल सेना भी महासमरमें विदीर्ण हो रही है। श्रीकृष्ण! वह हाथीकी रस्सीके चिह्नसे युक्त बुद्धिमान् कर्णका ध्वज दिखायी दे रहा है। वह राजाओंकी सेनाके बीच सानन्द विचरण कर रहा है
hastikakṣo hāsau kṛṣṇa ketuḥ karṇasya dhīmataḥ | dṛśyate rājasainyasya madhye vicarato mudā ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Wahai Kṛṣṇa, panji Karṇa yang bijaksana—bertanda lambang tali pengikat gajah—tampak jelas. Ia bergerak dengan riang di tengah bala para raja, sementara perang besar berkecamuk dan pasukan Sṛñjaya terkoyak-cerai.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial prowess and confidence can appear triumphant amid devastation. Ethically, it underscores the harsh reality of war: visible signs of victory (a banner moving ‘joyfully’) coexist with the tearing apart of armies, reminding readers that battlefield glory is inseparable from widespread suffering and the inexorable working of fate within kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya reports to the listener that Karṇa’s distinctive banner—bearing the mark associated with an elephant’s tethering-rope—is clearly visible as Karṇa ranges through the midst of the royal forces with confidence and delight, while the opposing Sṛñjaya troops are being shattered in the great combat.