Shloka 593
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
स राजकानां सर्वेषां पश्यतां व: किरीटिना । इसी तरह प्रतापी सूतपुत्र कर्ण भी राजाओंसहित तुम सब लोगोंके देखते-देखते किरीटधारी अर्जुनके हाथसे मारा गया
sa rājñāṁ sarveṣāṁ paśyatāṁ vaḥ kirīṭinā | tathā pratāpī sūtaputraḥ karṇo 'pi rājabhiḥ saha yuṣmākaṁ sarveṣāṁ paśyatāṁ-paśyatāṁ kirīṭadhāriṇā arjunena hataḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: In full view of all the kings—and before the eyes of all of you—the mighty Karṇa, the valiant son of a charioteer, was likewise slain by the diadem-bearing Arjuna. The narration underscores the public, witnessed nature of the deed: in war, even the greatest fall before fate and the consequences of their chosen alliances and actions.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitability of consequence in dharmic warfare: even renowned heroes fall, and their end becomes a public moral record. It also stresses the importance of witnessed truth (what is seen by many) in preserving the ethical memory of events.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Karṇa, famed for valor and known as the sūta’s son, is slain by Arjuna, the diadem-bearing warrior, in the sight of assembled kings and the wider audience—emphasizing the decisive and publicly observed turning point in the battle.