Shloka 43
(तत् सैन्यं भरतश्रेष्ठ वध्यमानं शितै: शरै: । न जहीौ समर प्राप्य फाल्गुनं शत्रुतापनम् ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
tat sainyaṃ bharataśreṣṭha vadhyamānaṃ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ |
na jahau samaraṃ prāpya phālgunaṃ śatrutāpanam ||
tatrādbhūtam apaśyāma kauravāṇāṃ parākramam |
vadhyamānā api yat pārtha na jahur bharatarṣabha ||
taṃ dṛṣṭvā kuravas tatra vikrāntaṃ savyasācinam |
nirāśāḥ samapadyanta sarve karṇasya jīvite ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik daripada keturunan Bharata, meskipun bala tuanku ditewaskan oleh anak panah yang tajam, mereka tidak meninggalkan pertempuran apabila berhadapan dengan Phālguna (Arjuna), pembakar musuh. Di sana kami menyaksikan keberanian yang mengagumkan pada para Kaurava: walau sedang dibunuh, mereka tetap tidak melepaskan pendirian melawan Pārtha. Melihat Savyasācin (Arjuna) memperlihatkan kegagahan sedemikian, seluruh kaum Kuru pun jatuh putus asa akan kelangsungan hidup Karṇa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness: even under lethal pressure, warriors hold their ground. Ethically, it portrays how courage and loyalty can persist amid near-certain defeat, while also showing the psychological turning point where morale collapses when a champion’s survival (Karṇa’s) seems doubtful.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava army, though pierced by Arjuna’s sharp arrows, did not retreat. Their resistance is described as ‘astonishing valor.’ Yet Arjuna’s overwhelming prowess makes the Kuru forces lose hope that Karṇa will even remain alive.