Shloka 40
यथा हि ज्वलनो दीप्तो जलमासाद्य शाम्यति । कर्णाग्नि: समरे तद्वत् पार्थमेघेन शामित:,जैसे प्रजलित आग जलको पाकर बुझ जाती है, उसी प्रकार समरांगणमें कर्णरूपी अग्निको अर्जुनरूपी मेघने बुझा दिया
yathā hi jvalano dīpto jalam āsādya śāmyati | karṇāgniḥ samare tadvat pārthameghena śāmitaḥ ||
Śalya said: “Just as a blazing fire is quenched when it meets water, so too, on the battlefield, the fire that was Karṇa has been extinguished by the cloud that is Pārtha (Arjuna).” The image underscores the moral and strategic reversal in war: even the fiercest prowess is subject to counter-force, and pride in martial power is ultimately checked by an opposing excellence.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the impermanence of martial dominance: even a ‘blazing’ hero can be checked and extinguished by an equal or superior counter-force. It also cautions against overreliance on sheer power, highlighting how circumstances and opposing excellence can overturn pride and momentum in war.
Śalya, speaking in the context of the Kurukṣetra war, describes Karṇa’s downfall using a vivid simile: Karṇa is compared to fire, and Arjuna (Pārtha) to a rain-cloud whose waters quench that fire—signaling Karṇa’s defeat at Arjuna’s hands.