Shloka 42
प्रताप्य पाण्डवान् सर्वान् पञ्चालांश्चास्त्रतेजसा,अस्त्रके तेजसे सम्पूर्ण पाण्डव और पांचालोंको संताप देकर, बाणोंकी वषकि द्वारा शत्रुसेनाको तपाकर तथा सहस््र किरणोंवाले तेजस्वी सूर्यके समान सम्पूर्ण संसारमें अपना प्रताप बिखेरकर वैकर्तन कर्ण पुत्र और वाहनोंसहित मारा गया। याचकरूपी पक्षियोंके समुदायके लिये जो कल्पवृक्षके समान था, वह कर्ण मार गिराया गया
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 ||
Śalya berkata: “Setelah membakar habis para Pāṇḍava dan Pāñcāla dengan daya menyala senjatanya, menyiksa bala musuh dengan hujan anak panah, dan menebarkan kemasyhuran laksana matahari bersinar seribu sinar ke seantero dunia—Karṇa, Vaikartana, gugur, beserta putra-putranya, kusir-kusirnya, dan tunggangannya. Ia yang bagaikan pohon kalpavṛkṣa bagi kawanan ‘burung’ para pemohon, kini dijatuhkan.”
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.