Shloka 1
अन्धकार-रजःसंमूढे रणाङ्गणे प्रदीपप्रकाशः | Illumination of the Army in Darkness and Dust
ऑपन-माजल बछ। जि षट्त्रिशर्दाधकशततमो< ध्याय: भीमसेन और कर्णका युद्ध, कर्णका पलायन, धृतराष्ट्रके सात पुत्रोंका वध तथा भीमका पराक्रम संजय उवाच तवात्मजांस्तु पतितान् दृष्टवा कर्ण: प्रतापवान् । क्रोधेन महता5<विष्टो निर्विण्णो5भूत् स जीवितात्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! आपके पुत्रोंको रणभूमिमें गिरा हुआ देख प्रतापी कर्ण अत्यन्त कुपित हो अपने जीवनसे विरक्त हो उठा
sañjaya uvāca | tavātmajāṁs tu patitān dṛṣṭvā karṇaḥ pratāpavān | krodhena mahatāviṣṭo nirviṇṇo 'bhūt sa jīvitāt ||
Sanjaya said: O King, seeing your sons fallen on the battlefield, the mighty Karna—seized by overwhelming wrath—became disgusted with life itself. The sight of their collapse turns his warrior pride into a fierce, despairing anger, foreshadowing reckless resolve amid the moral ruin of fratricidal war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to one’s side and the shock of loss can drive a warrior into consuming anger and life-weariness. Ethically, it underscores the destructive psychological aftermath of unjust conflict: when dharma is compromised, even valor turns into despair.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Karna, upon seeing Dhritarashtra’s sons lying fallen in battle, is overwhelmed by intense rage and becomes indifferent to his own life—an emotional turning point that sets up further violent action.