Shloka 31
अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle
रथिन: समहामात्रान् गजानश्वान् ससादिन: । पत्तिव्रातांश्व संक्रुद्धो निध्नन् कर्णो व्यदृश्यत,क्रोधमें भरा हुआ कर्ण रथियों, महावतोंसहित हाथियों, सवारोंसहित घोड़ों तथा पैदलसमूहोंका वध करता देखा जा रहा था
rathinaḥ sa-mahāmātrān gajān aśvān sa-sādinaḥ | pattivrātāṁś ca saṁkruddho nighnan karṇo vyadṛśyata ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, Karṇa was seen cutting down chariot-warriors, elephants along with their great commanders (mahāmātras), horses together with their riders, and masses of infantry. The scene underscores how wrath, once unleashed in battle, turns prowess into indiscriminate destruction, eclipsing restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of krodha (wrath): even heroic capability, when driven by anger, becomes a force of sweeping destruction. It implicitly contrasts martial duty with the need for inner restraint and discernment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, furious in the midst of battle, is visibly cutting down multiple divisions—chariot-fighters, elephant units with their commanders, cavalry with riders, and infantry formations.