Shloka 54
सदेवगन्धर्वमनुष्यपूजितं निहत्य कर्ण रिपुमाहवेडर्जुन: । रराज राजन् परमेण वर्चसा यथा पुरा वृत्रवधे शतक्रतु:,राजन! देवता, गन्धर्व और मनुष्योंद्वारा पूजित अपने शत्रु कर्णको युद्धमें मारकर अर्जुन अपने उत्तम तेजसे उसी प्रकार प्रकाशित होने लगे, जैसे पूर्वकालमें वृत्रासुरका वध करके इन्द्र सुशोभित हुए थे
sadeva-gandharva-manuṣya-pūjitaṃ nihatya karṇaṃ ripum āhave ’rjunaḥ | rarāja rājan parameṇa varcasā yathā purā vṛtra-vadhe śatakratuḥ ||
Śalya said: “O King, having slain his enemy Karṇa in battle—Karṇa who was revered by gods, Gandharvas, and men—Arjuna shone with supreme radiance, just as in former times Śatakratu (Indra) blazed forth after killing Vṛtra.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial victory within a moral-epic lens: even a widely revered warrior (Karṇa) can fall when opposed by a divinely empowered and duty-bound hero (Arjuna). The comparison to Indra after Vṛtra’s slaying highlights how victory in a righteous, fated conflict is portrayed as producing ‘varcas’—a radiance of legitimacy, prowess, and public recognition.
Śalya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna has killed Karṇa in battle. After this decisive act, Arjuna appears resplendent, and Śalya likens his brilliance to Indra’s splendor after defeating the demon Vṛtra in ancient myth.