Shloka 30
कर्णस्य देहं रुधिरावसिक्तं भक्तानुकम्पी भगवान् विवस्वान् । स्पृष्टवांशुभिलोंहितरक्तरूप: सिष्णासुरभ्येति परं समुद्रम्,भक्तोंपर कृपा करनेवाले भगवान् सूर्य खूनसे भीगे हुए कर्णके शरीरका किरणोंद्वारा स्पर्श करके रक्तके समान ही लालरूप धारणकर मानो स्नान करनेकी इच्छासे पश्चिम समुद्रकी ओर जा रहे थे
karṇasya dehaṃ rudhirāvasiktaṃ bhaktānukampī bhagavān vivasvān | spṛṣṭavān aṃśubhir lohita-rakta-rūpaḥ siṣṇāsur abhye ti paraṃ samudram ||
Śalya said: “Seeing Karṇa’s body drenched in blood, the blessed Sun—compassionate toward his devotee—touched him with his rays and, taking on a hue as red as blood, seemed to move toward the western ocean, as if desiring to bathe.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the brutality of war, the epic highlights a moral universe where devotion and relationship are acknowledged: the Sun, as Karṇa’s divine father and protector, is portrayed as responding with compassion. The image suggests that suffering is not ignored by the cosmos, and that loyalty and devotion carry ethical weight even when outcomes are tragic.
Śalya describes a poignant battlefield moment: Karṇa lies blood-soaked, and the setting Sun (Vivasvān) touches him with its rays. The Sun appears blood-red and moves toward the western ocean, likened to going to bathe—an evocative sunset image that mirrors the bloodshed and signals the closing of a fateful day for Karṇa.