Shloka 33
कर्णपुत्रवधः (The Fall of Vṛṣasena) — Karṇa Parva, Adhyāya 62
ताभ्यां स सहितस्तूर्ण व्रीडन्निव नरेश्वर:,नकुल और सहदेवके साथ वे नरेश लज्जित होते हुए-से तुरंत छावनीमें पहुँचकर रथसे उतर पड़े और सुन्दर शय्यापर लेट गये। उस समय उनका सारा शरीर बाणोंसे क्षत-विक्षत हो रहा था
tābhyāṃ sa sahitas tūrṇaṃ vrīḍann iva nareśvaraḥ | nakula-sahadevayoḥ saha śibiraṃ prāpya rathād avatarat, śubhaśayyāyāṃ ca śayānaḥ | tasmin kāle tasya sarvaṃ śarīraṃ bāṇaiḥ kṣata-vikṣataṃ babhūva ||
Sañjaya said: Accompanied by those two—Nakula and Sahadeva—the king hastened back to the camp, seeming as if ashamed. He dismounted from his chariot and lay down upon a fine couch. At that time his whole body was being torn and lacerated by arrows, revealing the moral weight of battle: even a righteous ruler, though supported by loyal brothers, must bear the bodily and inward consequences of war and the humiliation that can follow a setback.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: royal duty may compel battle, yet defeat and injury bring not only physical pain but also the sting of shame. It highlights how honor, responsibility, and the consequences of violence converge upon a ruler.
Sañjaya describes the king returning swiftly to the camp with Nakula and Sahadeva, dismounting from his chariot, and lying on a fine couch while his body remains grievously wounded by arrows.