Shloka 44
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
उन महापराक्रमी सत्यप्रतिज्ञ शूरवीर भीष्मके मारे जानेपर आपके पुत्रोंने कर्णका उसी प्रकार स्मरण किया, जैसे पार जानेकी इच्छावाले पुरुष नावकी इच्छा करते हैं ।। तावकास्तव पुत्रा श्न सहिता: सर्वराजभि: । हा कर्ण इति चाक्रन्दन् कालोड्यमिति चाब्रुवन्,समस्त राजाओंसहित आपके पुत्र और सैनिक 'हा कर्ण" कहकर विलाप करने लगे और बोले--'कर्ण! तुम्हारे पराक्रमका यह अवसर आया है”
tāvakās tava putrāś ca sahitāḥ sarvarājabhiḥ | hā karṇa iti cākrandan kālodayam iti cābruvan || bhīṣmasya mahāparākramiṇaḥ satyapratijñasya śūravīrasya māraṇe sati te kṛṣṇāḥ (tava putrāḥ) karṇam eva tathā smṛtavantaḥ yathā pāragaṃtum icchantaḥ puruṣā nāvam icchanti ||
サンジャヤは言った。「大いなる武威を備え、誓いに堅く、英雄たるビーシュマが討たれると、汝の子らは同盟の諸王とともに『ああ、カルナよ！』と叫んで嘆き、『カルナよ、汝の武勇が立ち上がる時が来た』と言った。彼らは川を渡りたい者が舟を求めるように、苦境の中でカルナへと心を向けた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, when a principal protector falls, people instinctively seek a new refuge—often treating a powerful individual as the ‘boat’ to cross danger. Ethically, it points to the vulnerability of relying solely on martial strength in a war where dharma is already strained; ‘kāla’ (the decisive time) arrives, but it does not guarantee righteousness or victory.
After Bhīṣma’s fall, the Kaurava side—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons along with their allied kings—breaks into lamentation and calls upon Karṇa. They urge him that the moment for his heroism has come, effectively looking to him to replace Bhīṣma as the main pillar of their army.