Shloka 286
कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief
आयुधक्षयमासाद्य प्रशान्तिं परमां गत: । महाराज! जैसे पूर्णिमाके दिन समुद्र उमड़ पड़ता है
āyudhakṣayam āsādya praśāntiṃ paramāṃ gataḥ | mahārāja! yathā pūrṇimāyāṃ dine samudra udmapatati, tathā vṛddhakṣemasya putro 'pi yuddhe uddhato 'bhavat; kintu tasya sarve 'strāṇi śastrāṇi ca naṣṭāni, tasmāt sa prāṇaśūnyaḥ san sadā-kṛte paramāṃ śāntim agamat |
Sañjaya disse: “Ó grande rei, ao chegar ao esgotamento de suas armas, ele passou à mais alta quietude. Assim como o oceano se avoluma no dia de lua cheia, assim também o filho de Vṛddhakṣema irrompeu na batalha com ardor feroz; mas, quando todos os seus projéteis e armas foram destruídos, ficou sem vida e entrou numa paz suprema e duradoura.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of martial power: even a warrior who surges with confidence like the ocean at full moon is brought to an end when his means of violence are exhausted. The phrase “supreme peace” functions as a sober reminder that death is the final cessation of conflict, inviting reflection on restraint, limits, and the cost of war.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the son of Vṛddhakṣema fought with great ferocity, but once his weapons—both missiles (astra) and hand-weapons (śastra)—were destroyed, he was slain. The narration uses a full-moon ocean-swell simile to convey the warrior’s sudden surge of battle-fury before his fall.