Shloka 29
कर्णपुत्रवधः (The Fall of Vṛṣasena) — Karṇa Parva, Adhyāya 62
इति शल्यवच: श्रुत्वा राधेय: पृथिवीपते,पृथ्वीनाथ! शल्यकी यह बात सुनकर तथा महासमरमें दुर्योधनको भीमसेनसे ग्रस्त हुआ देखकर शल्यके वचनोंसे प्रेरित हो राजाको अधिक चाहनेवाला पराक्रमी कर्ण अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिर और माद्रीकुमार पाण्डुपुत्र नकुल-सहदेवको छोड़कर आपके पुत्रकी रक्षा करनेके लिये दौड़ा
iti śalyavacaḥ śrutvā rādhēyaḥ pṛthivīpate | pṛthvīnātha śalyakī yā bāta sunkara tathā mahāsamareṃ duryodhanaṃ bhīmasenena grastaṃ dṛṣṭvā śalyavacanaiḥ preritō rājānam adhikaṃ cāhayamānaḥ parākramaḥ karṇaḥ ajātaśatruṃ yudhiṣṭhiraṃ ca mādrīkumarau pāṇḍuputrau nakula-sahadevau ca tyaktvā tava putrasya rakṣaṇāya daudāva ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing Śalya’s words, O king, and seeing in that great battle that Duryodhana had been seized and overpowered by Bhīmasena, the valiant Karṇa—spurred on by Śalya’s speech and moved by a stronger attachment to the king—left aside Ajātaśatru Yudhiṣṭhira and the Mādrī-born sons of Pāṇḍu, Nakula and Sahadeva, and rushed to protect your son. The moment highlights how loyalty and personal obligation can redirect a warrior’s priorities amid the moral pressure of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between personal loyalty and broader martial duty: Karṇa’s immediate choice is driven by attachment and obligation to Duryodhana, showing how allegiance can override other strategic or moral considerations in war.
After hearing Śalya’s remarks and seeing Duryodhana in danger under Bhīma’s assault, Karṇa stops focusing on other Pāṇḍava targets (Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva) and rushes to defend Duryodhana.