Shloka 59
कर्ण: शोकसमाविष्टो महोरग इव श्वसन् । स शैनेयं रणे क्रुद्ध: प्रदहन्निव चक्षुषा
karṇaḥ śokasamāviṣṭo mahoraga iva śvasan | sa śaineyaṃ raṇe kruddhaḥ pradahann iva cakṣuṣā ||
Sañjaya said: Overwhelmed by grief, Karṇa breathed like a great serpent. Enraged in the midst of battle, he fixed upon Śaineya as though burning him with his very gaze—his sorrow hardening into wrath and violence on the field where moral restraint is most severely tested.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief can quickly transmute into rage, especially in war, where ethical restraint is fragile. It implicitly warns that inner turmoil (śoka) can drive outward harm, making self-mastery a crucial dimension of dharma even for a warrior.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa on the battlefield: he is grief-stricken and breathing like a great serpent, then turns fiercely upon Śaineya (Sātyaki), glaring as if to burn him—signaling an imminent violent engagement.