Shloka 44
उस मर्यादारहित और भयंकर युद्धमें जब भगदड़ पड़ गयी, उस समय भागे हुए सैनिक सारी दिशाओंको सूनी देखते थे। राजन! वहाँ लोगोंको एकमात्र कर्ण ही उस शस्त्रवर्षको छातीपर झेलता हुआ दिखायी दिया ।। ततो बाणैरावृणोदन्तरिक्ष॑ दिव्यां मायां योधयन् राक्षसस्य । ह्वीमान् कुर्वन् दुष्करं चार्यकर्म नैवामुहात् संयुगे सूतपुत्र:,तदनन्तर राक्षसकी दिव्य मायाके साथ युद्ध करते हुए लज्जाशील सूतपुत्र कर्णने आकाशको अपने बाणोंसे ढक दिया और युद्धमें वह श्रेष्ठ वीरोचित दुष्कर कर्म करता हुआ भी मोहके वशीभूत नहीं हुआ
tato bāṇair āvṛṇod antarikṣaṁ divyāṁ māyāṁ yodhayan rākṣasasya | hrīmān kurvan duṣkaraṁ cāryakarma naivāmuhyāt saṁyuge sūtaputraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, as he fought against the rākṣasa’s wondrous, divine illusion, the charioteer’s son Karṇa—steadfast and self-possessed—covered the sky with his arrows. Performing in battle a difficult deed worthy of a noble warrior, he did not succumb to confusion even amid that terrifying shower of weapons, when others were breaking and fleeing. Ethically, the verse highlights composure and resolve under chaos: true valor is not mere violence, but clarity of mind and unwavering duty in the face of fear and deception.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that genuine heroism includes mental clarity and self-restraint: even when confronted with fear, mass panic, and deceptive ‘māyā’, a warrior devoted to his duty should not fall into delusion but act with disciplined resolve.
As a rākṣasa employs a powerful, divine illusion in battle, Karṇa counters it by filling the sky with arrows, continuing to perform difficult, noble feats without becoming confused—standing firm while others are overwhelmed.