Shloka 21
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
युध्यमानं रणे कर्ण कुरुवीरो व्यपालयत् । भरतश्रेष्ठ। भाइयोंसहित कुरुवीर दुर्योधन कौरववीरों तथा मद्रदेशीय महारथियोंसे सुरक्षित हो रणभूमिमें पाण्डवों, पांचालों, चेदिदेशके वीरों तथा सात्यकिके साथ जूझते हुए कर्णकी रक्षा करने लगा || १९-२० $ ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
yudhyamānaṃ raṇe karṇaṃ kuruvīro vyapālayat | bharataśreṣṭha | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ kuruvīro duryodhanaḥ kauravavīrān tathā madradeśīyān mahārathīn parigṛhya raṇabhūmau pāṇḍavān pāñcālāṃś ca cedideśasya vīrān sātyakiṃ ca saha yudhyamānaḥ karṇasya rakṣāṃ cakāra ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai yang terbaik di antara kaum Bharata, ketika Karṇa bertempur hebat di medan perang, wira Kuru itu melindunginya. Dengan saudara-saudaranya di sisi, Duryodhana—dikelilingi para jawara Kaurava dan maharathi dari Madra—menerjah ke kancah, dan sambil bertarung melawan para Pāṇḍava, kaum Pañcāla, para wira Cedi, serta Sātyaki, dia memikul tugas menjaga Karṇa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of loyalty and protective duty within a warrior alliance: Duryodhana treats Karṇa as a pivotal ally whose safety is strategically and personally essential, illustrating how kṣatriya obligations (rakṣā, yuddha) operate even amid morally fraught conflict.
As Karṇa fights, Duryodhana—accompanied by his brothers and supported by Kaurava warriors and Madra chariot-champions—engages the opposing forces (Pāṇḍavas, Pāñcālas, Cedi heroes, and Sātyaki) while specifically acting to protect Karṇa on the battlefield.