Shloka 57
एवमेतन्महाराज नरवाजिरथद्विपान्,तथा स सोमकान् हत्वा तस्थावेको महारथ: । महाराज! इस प्रकार शत्रुसूदन महाधनुर्धर कर्ण शत्रुपक्षके पैदल, घोड़े, रथ और हाथियोंका संहार करके अविचलभावसे खड़ा रहा। जैसे समस्त प्राणियोंका संहार करके काल खड़ा हो, उसी प्रकार महाबली महारथी कर्ण सोमकोंका विनाश करके युद्धभूमिमें अकेला ही डटा रहा
evam etan mahārāja nara-vāji-ratha-dvipān tathā sa somakān hatvā tasthāv eko mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Demikianlah, wahai Raja. Setelah membinasakan prajurit pejalan kaki, pasukan berkuda, para kesatria berkereta, dan gajah-gajah perang musuh—serta menghancurkan kaum Somaka—Karna, sang mahāratha, berdiri teguh seorang diri. Laksana Kāla (Waktu) yang berdiri setelah memusnahkan segala makhluk, Karna yang perkasa tetap tak tergoyahkan di medan laga.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s vision of battlefield power as morally weighty and ultimately governed by Kāla (Time/Death): even the greatest hero’s triumph is framed as a manifestation of inexorable fate, reminding the listener that martial glory and mass destruction are inseparable in war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karna has slaughtered multiple divisions—infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants—and has also devastated the Somaka forces; after this, Karna stands alone, steady and unshaken, compared to Kāla after universal destruction.