Shloka 3
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
निचकर्त शिरांस्येषां बाहूनूरूंश्व सूतज: । ते हता वसुधां पेतुर्भग्नाश्षान्ये विदुद्रुवु:,सूतपुत्रने पाण्डव-सैनिकोंके मस्तकों, भुजाओं और जाँघोंको काट डाला। वे मरकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े और दूसरे बहुत-से योद्धा घायल होकर भाग गये
sañjaya uvāca |
nicakarta śirāṃsy eṣāṃ bāhūn ūrūṃś ca sūtajaḥ |
te hatā vasudhāṃ petur bhagnāś cānye vidudruvuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The charioteer’s son (Karna) hewed off their heads, arms, and thighs. Struck down, they fell upon the earth; and many others, shattered and wounded, fled in panic. The scene underscores the grim momentum of battle, where prowess and fury eclipse restraint, and the cost of war is measured in broken bodies and broken courage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical tension of war: within kṣatriya-dharma, martial skill is praised, yet the narrative also exposes war’s dehumanizing cost—fear, flight, and the fragility of life—inviting reflection on the consequences of unchecked wrath and the inevitability of suffering in armed conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Karna is cutting down Pāṇḍava-side warriors with devastating force, severing heads and limbs; many are killed and fall to the ground, while numerous others, wounded and broken, flee the battlefield.