Shloka 23
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
युक्त्वा स्वर्गयशो भ्यां च स्वेभ्यो मुदमुदावहत् । वह सहसों शत्रुओंको वस्त्र, आयुध शरीर और प्राणोंसे शून्य करके उन्हें स्वर्ग और सुयशसे संयुक्त करता हुआ आत्मीयजनोंको आनन्द प्रदान करने लगा ।।
sañjaya uvāca | yuktvā svargayaśobhyāṃ ca svebhyo mudam udāvahat | sa ha sahasāṃ śatrūn ko vastra-āyudha-śarīra-prāṇaiḥ śūnyaṃ kṛtvā tān svarga-suyaśobhyāṃ saṃyojayann ātmīyajanān ānandaṃ pradadāti sma || evaṃ māriṣa saṃgrāmo nara-vāji-gaja-kṣayaḥ | kurūṇāṃ sṛñjayānāṃ ca devāsura-samo 'bhavat mānyavara ||
サञ्जयは語った。「彼は彼らを天界と尽きぬ名声に結びつけ、味方に歓喜をもたらした。たちまち敵から衣を奪い、武器を奪い、身を奪い、さらには命の息吹さえ奪って、彼らを天と名誉へと送り、同時に身内を喜ばせた。かくして、尊き御方よ、人・馬・象を滅ぼすクル族とスリンジャヤ族の戦いは、神々と阿修羅の戦争にも比すべき恐るべきものとなった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s tension between martial glory and human cost: a warrior’s deeds are framed as granting ‘heaven and fame’ while simultaneously emphasizing the brutal reality—enemies are deprived of body and life. It invites reflection on how dharma-language can sanctify violence, even as the narrative does not hide its devastation.
Sañjaya describes the ferocity of the ongoing battle: one side’s champion rapidly slaughters foes, bringing joy to his own camp, and the overall conflict between the Kurus and the Sṛñjayas becomes comparable in terror to the mythic war between gods and demons, with massive losses of men, horses, and elephants.