Shloka 52
स वै क्रुद्ध: सिंह इवात्यमर्षी नामर्षयत् प्रतिघातं रणेडसौ । शक्ति श्रेष्ठां वैजयन्तीमसहांं समाददे तस्य वध चिकीर्षन्,क्रोधमें भरे हुए सिंहके समान अत्यन्त अमर्षशील कर्ण रणभूमिमें घटोत्कचद्वारा अपने अस्त्रोंका प्रतिघत न सह सका। उसने उस राक्षसका वध करनेकी इच्छासे श्रेष्ठ एवं असहाय वैजयन्ती नामक शक्तिको हाथमें लिया
sa vai kruddhaḥ siṁha ivātyamarṣī nāmarṣayat pratighātaṁ raṇe 'sau | śaktiṁ śreṣṭhāṁ vaijayantīm asahāṁ samādade tasya vadhaṁ cikīrṣan ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged and fiercely intolerant like a lion, Karṇa could not endure on the battlefield the counter-stroke dealt by Ghaṭotkaca against his weapons. Wishing to kill that rākṣasa, he took up in his hand the excellent and irresistible spear called Vaijayantī—an act driven by wrath and the urgent ethics of war, where a warrior’s pride and the need to neutralize a deadly foe collide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and wounded pride can drive a warrior to escalate force, even to deploying a rare, decisive weapon. Ethically, it frames a battlefield dilemma: the duty to neutralize a dangerous enemy versus the inner danger of acting primarily from wrath.
Ghaṭotkaca has effectively repulsed Karṇa’s attacks. Unable to bear this setback, Karṇa decides to kill him and therefore takes up the powerful spear (śakti) named Vaijayantī to strike him down.