Shloka 7
भीष्मपातने कर्णविलापः | Karṇa’s Lament upon Seeing Bhīṣma Fallen
धनंजयशरैरव्याप्तं पितरं ते महाव्रतम् । तं॑ वीरशयने वीरं शयान पुरुषर्षभम्
dhanañjayaśarair avyāptaṃ pitaraṃ te mahāvratam | taṃ vīraśayane vīraṃ śayānaṃ puruṣarṣabham
Sañjaya said: Your father, the great vow-keeper, was not pierced by Dhanañjaya’s arrows. That hero—best of men—lay upon a hero’s bed (the battlefield), resting in the manner of the valiant. The line underscores the warrior-ethic of facing death with steadfastness and the moral weight of filial bonds strained by war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of meeting danger and even death with unwavering courage and dignity, while also reminding the listener of the ethical tension in war: even revered elders and fathers become subjects of battlefield narration.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the condition of ‘your father’—described as a great vow-keeper—stating that he was not pierced by Arjuna’s arrows and is lying on the battlefield, portrayed as a heroic resting place.