Shloka 183
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
क्षत्रविट्शूद्रवीराणा धर्म्य स्वरग्य यशस्करम् । उनका वह युद्ध क्षत्रिय, वैश्य एवं शूद्रवीरोंक शरीर, पाप और प्राणोंका विनाश करनेवाला, संहारकारी, धर्मसंगत स्वर्गदायक तथा यशकी वृद्धि करनेवाला था
sañjaya uvāca | kṣatra-viṭ-śūdra-vīrāṇāṃ dharmyaṃ svargyaṃ yaśaskaram |
サञ्जयは言った。「刹帝利・ヴァイシャ・シュードラの諸身分の勇士たちが加わったその戦いは、ダルマにかなうものであった。天界への道を開き、名声を増し加える。叙事詩の倫理の枠内では、この種の戦は、勇敢な行為によって義務と誉れ、そしてより高き世界への望みを勝ち取ることが許された場として描かれている。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battle—when undertaken within the epic’s notion of rightful duty—as dharmic action that yields two classical rewards: svarga (a higher posthumous state) and yaśas (lasting reputation). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: violence is tragic, yet duty-bound warfare is still treated as a legitimate path to honor and merit for those who fight according to their role and code.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, characterizes the ongoing conflict as a battle drawing in heroes from multiple social orders (Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, Śūdra) and describes its perceived moral and spiritual valence—righteous, heaven-leading, and fame-producing—rather than detailing a specific blow or duel in this line.