Shloka 2
अध्याय २१ — गान्धार्या वैकर्तनदर्शनम्
Gāndhārī’s Viewing of Vaikartana/Karṇa
गान्धारी बोलीं--श्रीकृष्ण! देखो, यह महाधनुर्धर महारथी वैकर्तन कर्ण कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनके तेजसे बुझी हुई प्रजवलित आगके समान युद्धस्थलमें शान्त होकर सो रहा है ।। पश्य वैकर्तनं कर्ण निहत्यातिरथान् बहून् । शोणितौघपरीताडूं शयानं पतितं भुवि,माधव! देखो, वैकर्तन कर्ण बहुत-से अतिरथी वीरोंका संहार करके स्वयं भी खूनसे लथपथ होकर पृथ्वीपर सोया पड़ा है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
paśya vaikartanaṃ karṇaṃ nihatya atirathān bahūn |
śoṇitaughaparītāṅgaṃ śayānaṃ patitaṃ bhuvi, mādhava ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Mādhava, behold Vaikartana Karṇa. Having slain many mighty chariot-warriors, he now lies fallen upon the earth, his body engulfed by torrents of blood—stilled at last after the blaze of battle. The scene lays bare the grim moral cost of war: even the most radiant hero, after fulfilling his martial role, meets the same silence of death.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity and tragic finality of war: even the greatest warrior, after immense slaughter, ends in stillness and blood on the earth. It invites reflection on impermanence and the human cost behind martial glory.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a moment where Kṛṣṇa (addressed as Mādhava) is asked to look upon Karṇa (Vaikartana), who—after killing many elite warriors—now lies fallen on the battlefield, covered in blood.