Shloka 37
कथं नु पापोदयमपेतध धर्म: सूतात्मज: समरेउद्य प्रसहा । पज्चालानां योधमुख्याननेकान् निजघ्निवांस्तव जिष्णो समक्षम्
kathaṃ nu pāpodayam apetadharmaḥ sūtātmajaḥ samare ’dyaprasahā | pāñcālānāṃ yodhamukhyān anekān nijaghnivāṃs tava jiṣṇoḥ samakṣam ||
サञ्जयは言った。「どうして車夫の子—罪が昂り、ダルマから外れた者—が、今日の戦場で無謀な力を振るい、ジシュヌ（アルジュナ）の眼前で、パンチャーラの名だたる勇士たちを多く討ち取ったのか。これは戦の陰惨な道徳の転倒を示す。正しさが覆い隠されても、武威と憤怒が勝つかのように見えるのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: martial success can occur even when dharma is eclipsed. Sañjaya’s astonishment frames Karṇa’s violent effectiveness as a sign of adharma’s temporary ascendancy, reminding the listener that battlefield outcomes do not automatically validate moral rightness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, fighting with force and disregard for dharma, has slain many leading Pāñcāla warriors, and that this has happened in Arjuna’s very presence—underscoring both Karṇa’s ferocity and the intensity of the ongoing battle.