Shloka 7
पुत्रे हते क्रोधपरीतचेता: कर्ण: शिनीनामृषभं जिधघांसु: । हतो$सि शैनेय इति ब्रुवन् स व्यवासृजद् बाणममित्रसाहम्
putre hate krodha-parīta-cetāḥ karṇaḥ śinīnām ṛṣabhaṃ jighāṃsuḥ | hato'si śaineya iti bruvan sa vyavāsṛjad bāṇam amitra-sāham ||
Sañjaya said: When his son had been slain, Karṇa’s mind was overwhelmed by anger. Intent on killing the bull among the Śinis, he cried, “You are slain, O Śaineya!” and released a mighty arrow that could withstand hostile foes. The verse highlights how grief can harden into rage on the battlefield, driving speech and action toward vengeance rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates a moral-psychological point often seen in the epic: personal loss can eclipse discernment, and anger born of grief pushes a warrior toward retaliatory violence. It implicitly contrasts impulsive vengeance with the ideal of self-mastery (dama) even amid kṣatriya warfare.
After Karṇa’s son has been killed, Karṇa, consumed by rage, targets Śaineya (Sātyaki), praised as the foremost among the Śinis. Declaring him ‘slain,’ Karṇa shoots a powerful, enemy-resisting arrow at him.