Shloka 153
द्रोणनिन्दाश्रवणं तथा सात्यकि–पार्षतविवादः
Hearing the reproach of Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Pārṣata dispute
अब्रवीत् प्रहसन् वाक््यं सहदेवं विशाम्पते । भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रजानाथ! तदनन्तर राधापुत्र कर्णने दो घड़ीतक सहदेवका पीछा करके उनसे हँसते हुए इस प्रकार कहा--
abravīt prahasan vākyaṃ sahadevaṃ viśāmpate | bharataśreṣṭha! prajānātha! tadanantaraṃ rādhāputraḥ karṇaḥ dvi-ghaṭikā-mātraṃ sahadevasya pṛṣṭhataḥ gatvā taṃ prati hasan idaṃ vacanam uvāca ||
Sañjaya said: Smiling, Karṇa addressed Sahadeva with words of mockery. O lord of the people, O best of the Bharatas—after that, the son of Rādhā pursued Sahadeva for a short while and, laughing, spoke to him in this manner. The scene frames the moral tension of war: valor and pursuit are mixed with derision, showing how pride and contempt can accompany martial success.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in righteous warfare, inner discipline matters: laughter and mockery toward an opponent reveal pride and contempt, which the epic often treats as ethically corrosive, contrasting true valor with arrogance.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, after pursuing Sahadeva briefly, addresses him while smiling/laughing—introducing a taunting speech that follows in subsequent verses.