Shloka 583
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
प्रेतराजपुरे यद्धत् प्रेतराजं विचेतस: । सूतपुत्रद्वारा समरांगणमें मारे जाते हुए सूंजय बारंबार अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णको पुकारते थे। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे प्रेतराजके नगरमें क्लेशसे अचेत हुए प्राणी प्रेतराजको ही पुकारते हैं
pretarājapure yaddhat pretarājaṁ vicetasaḥ | sūtaputradvārā samarāṅgaṇe māryamāṇe sañjayaḥ bāraṁbāram arjunaṁ śrīkṛṣṇaṁ ca pupāra | ṭhīk usī tarah, jaise pretarājake nagarme kleśase acet hue prāṇī pretarāja ko hī pukārate haiṁ |
യമപുരിയിൽ ക്ലേശത്താൽ മൂർഛിച്ച ജീവികൾ യമരാജനെയേ വിളിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ, യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ സൂതപുത്രൻ വധിക്കപ്പെടുമ്പോൾ സഞ്ജയൻ ആവർത്തിച്ച് അർജുനനെയും ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനെയും വിളിച്ചു।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In crisis, beings instinctively seek the highest refuge they recognize. The verse uses the image of sufferers in Yama’s realm calling upon Pretarāja to highlight how, amid the terror of death on the battlefield, Sañjaya turns repeatedly to Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa as the decisive protectors and agents of dharma.
During the climactic fighting of Karṇa Parva, as Karṇa (the sūtaputra) is being slain in the battle, Sañjaya—reporting events—repeatedly invokes Arjuna and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, likening his urgent cries to the cries of tormented beings in the realm of Yama.