Shloka 29
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 37: Sañjaya’s Account of Abhimanyu’s Precision Disruption of a Chariot Contingent
स तेनातिप्रहारेण व्यथितो विद्वलजन्निव । संचचाल रणे कर्ण: क्षितिकम्पे यथाचल:,जैसे भूकम्प होनेपर पर्वत भी हिलने लगता है, उसी प्रकार उस अत्यन्त गहरे आघातसे व्यथित एवं विद्वल-सा होकर कर्ण उस रणभूमिमें विचलित हो उठा
sa tenātiprahāreṇa vyathito vidvalajjana iva | sañcacāla raṇe karṇaḥ kṣitikampe yathācalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by that exceedingly heavy blow, Karṇa was shaken and pained, appearing as though stunned. On the battlefield he reeled—like a mountain that trembles when the earth quakes. The verse underscores how even the mightiest warrior can be momentarily unsteadied by the force of karma unfolding in war, where pride and prowess meet the hard limits of the body.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility beneath martial greatness: even a famed hero can be shaken by a single decisive blow. It suggests an ethical realism about war—strength and reputation do not cancel bodily limits, and the momentum of events (often read as karma) can humble the proud.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa has received an extremely forceful strike in the battle. The impact leaves him pained and momentarily dazed, causing him to stagger on the battlefield, compared to a mountain trembling during an earthquake.