Shloka 423
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
रुदन्नार्तस्तव सुतं कर्णश्नक्रे प्रदक्षिणम् । आभूषणभूषित दुर्जय अपने क्षत-विक्षत अंगोंसे पृथ्वीपर गिरकर चोट खाये हुए सर्पके समान छटपटाने लगा। उस समय कर्णने शोकार्त होकर रोते-रोते आपके पुत्रकी परिक्रमा की
sañjaya uvāca | rudann ārtaḥ tava sutaṁ karṇaś cakre pradakṣiṇam | ābhūṣaṇabhūṣito durjayaḥ sva-kṣata-vikṣatāṅgaiḥ pṛthivyāṁ patitvā āhataḥ sarpa iva chaṭapaṭāyām āsa | tadā karṇaḥ śokārtaḥ ruditvā ruditvā tava putrasya pradakṣiṇāṁ cakāra |
Sanjaya said: Overwhelmed with anguish and weeping, Karna circumambulated your son. Duryodhana—adorned with ornaments yet torn and wounded—fell upon the earth and writhed like a stricken serpent. At that moment, Karna, grief‑stricken, kept circling your son again and again, crying as he did so—an act that underscores loyalty and attachment even amid the ruin of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of loyalty: Karna’s reverential circumambulation of Duryodhana shows steadfast attachment and gratitude even when the cause is collapsing. It invites reflection on how personal bonds can persist amid adharma and the catastrophic consequences of war.
Duryodhana, grievously wounded, falls to the ground and writhes in pain. Karna, overwhelmed with sorrow, weeps and circles him in pradakṣiṇā—an expressive gesture of devotion, farewell, and solidarity in the midst of battlefield devastation.