Shloka 36
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
ततो वैकर्तन: कर्णश्रिन्तां प्राप दुरत्ययाम् । स च्छाद्यमान: समरे हताश्वो हतसारथि:,घोड़े और सारथिके मारे जानेपर समरांगणमें बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित हुआ सूर्यपुत्र कर्ण दुस्तर चिन्तामें निमग्न हो गया
tato vaikartanaḥ karṇaś cintāṃ prāpa duratyayām | sa cchādyamānaḥ samare hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Vaikartana Karṇa was seized by an insurmountable anxiety. In the midst of battle—his horses slain and his charioteer killed—he found himself covered over by volleys of arrows, and his confidence faltered under the pressure of the moment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest warrior can be shaken when supports collapse (horses and charioteer) and danger closes in; the verse highlights the human vulnerability beneath martial prowess and the ethical pressure of sustaining one’s duty amid overwhelming circumstances.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, in the thick of combat, has lost his horses and charioteer and is being showered with arrows; under this sudden disadvantage he falls into a severe, hard-to-overcome anxiety.