Shloka 216
अपीडयद्ू भृशं कर्णो धर्मराजं युधिष्ठिरम् । राजन! तत्पश्चात् अपने बाणोंसे सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको मोहित करते हुए कर्णने धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको अत्यन्त पीड़ित कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | apīḍayad bhṛśaṁ karṇo dharmarājaṁ yudhiṣṭhiram | rājan! tatpaścāt apane bāṇoṁse sampūrṇa diśāoṁko mohit karate hue karṇane dharmarāja yudhiṣṭhirako atyanta pīḍita kara diyā |
Sanjaya said: Karna grievously pressed and tormented Dharmaraja Yudhishthira. O King, thereafter, dazzling all directions with his arrows, Karna caused the righteous king Yudhishthira intense suffering—an image of martial brilliance set against the ethical weight of striking the very embodiment of dharma on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: even the personification of dharma (Yudhishthira) can be subjected to severe violence when kshatriya duty and battlefield rivalry dominate. It invites reflection on how martial excellence and moral ideals collide in the Kurukshetra conflict.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Karna, displaying formidable archery that seems to dazzle the very directions, relentlessly strikes and severely afflicts Yudhishthira in battle.