Shloka 41
पुत्राश्न तव योधाश्व व्यथिता वि्रदुद्रुवु: । नरेश्वरर उस अत्यन्त भयंकर और उग्र संग्रामको देखकर आपके पुत्र और योद्धा भयभीत होकर भाग चले || ४० $ || तत्रैको<स्त्रबलश्लाघी कर्णो मानी न विव्यथे
putrāś ca tava yodhāś ca vyathitā vidrudruvuḥ | nareśvaraṃs tu atyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ ca ugraṃ saṅgrāmaṃ dṛṣṭvā tava putrā yodhāś ca bhayabhītāḥ palāyitāḥ || 40 || tatra eko 'stra-bala-ślāghī karṇo mānī na vivyathe || 41 ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that exceedingly dreadful and fierce battle, your sons and your warriors, shaken with fear, fled in confusion. Yet there, one man—Karna—proud of his prowess in weapons and strength, did not waver.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts panic-driven flight with steadfastness under terror: many abandon resolve when confronted by overwhelming danger, while a single determined warrior remains unshaken—raising ethical questions about courage, pride, and duty in war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, upon witnessing an extremely fearsome phase of the battle, the Kaurava side—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons and troops—breaks and flees; in contrast, Karna alone stands firm and does not falter.