Shloka 386
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
जल त्यक्त्वा प्रधावन्ति क्रोशमाना: परस्परम् । “अर्जुन! कितने ही योद्धा पानी लानेके लिये गये
jalaṁ tyaktvā pradhāvanti krośamānāḥ parasparam |
サンジャヤは言った。水を投げ捨て、彼らは四方へ走り回り、互いに叫び合った。この光景は、戦が生む残酷さと徒労を示している。命を救うはずの働きでさえ間に合わず、悲嘆が務めを呑み込む。水を携えて戻った者たちは、身内が気を失って倒れているのを見て、その場に水を捨て、嘆き叫びながら駆けずり回った。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating moral and emotional fallout of war: practical duties (bringing water to the wounded) are eclipsed by shock and grief when death has already occurred. It implicitly warns that violence multiplies suffering beyond the immediate act of killing, unraveling composure, duty, and human bonds.
On the battlefield, some warriors had gone to fetch water for those suffering from thirst. When they return, they find their relatives and comrades already unconscious or dead; in despair they throw down the water and run about, crying to one another.