Shloka 25
पश्य कर्ण महेष्वासं धनुष्पाणिमवस्थितम् । निशीथे दारुणे काले तपन्तमिव भास्करम्,'पार्थ! महाधनुर्धर कर्णको देखो; वह हाथमें धनुष लिये खड़ा है और इस भयंकर आधी रातके समय सूर्यके समान तप रहा है
paśya karṇa maheṣvāsaṃ dhanuṣpāṇim avasthitam | niśīthe dāruṇe kāle tapantam iva bhāskaram ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold Karṇa, that great archer, standing firm with bow in hand. In the dreadful hour of midnight he blazes forth, scorching like the sun.” The line heightens the moral tension of the war: Karṇa’s formidable prowess is portrayed as awe-inspiring and fearsome, suggesting how martial excellence, when yoked to a destructive cause, can become a consuming fire in the night of dharma’s eclipse.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ambivalence of power: extraordinary skill and courage can inspire reverence, yet in an unrighteous or tragic context they become terrifying—like a sun burning at midnight—signaling dharma under strain.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, urging attention to Karṇa: he is stationed with bow in hand at the grim hour of midnight, radiating fierce energy and readiness for combat, implicitly challenging Pārtha (Arjuna).