Shloka 33
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
आपके महामनस्वी पुत्रका वह पराक्रम देखकर रणभूमिमें सब योद्धा विस्मित हो गये तथा आकाशमें सिद्धों और अप्सराओंके समूह भी आश्वर्य करने लगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
āpake mahāmanasvī putrasya taṁ parākramaṁ dṛṣṭvā raṇabhūmau sarve yoddhā vismitā abhavan tathā ākāśe siddhānām apsarasāṁ ca gaṇā api āścaryaṁ cakruḥ ||
dhṛṣṭadyumnaṁ na paśyāma ghaṭamānaṁ mahābalam |
duḥśāsanena saṁruddhaṁ siṁheneva mahāgajam ||
Disse Sañjaya: Ao verem tal feito de valor de teu filho, de grande alma, todos os guerreiros no campo de batalha ficaram maravilhados; e no céu, também as companhias de Siddhas e Apsarās se admiraram. Já não podíamos ver o poderoso Dhṛṣṭadyumna esforçando-se ao máximo para se libertar, pois Duḥśāsana o havia cercado—como um leão que domina um grande elefante.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming force and tactical restraint can suddenly reverse visibility and agency in war: even a renowned commander may be rendered ineffective when decisively contained. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between admiration for prowess and the sobering reality that battlefield success is often a matter of momentary advantage rather than lasting righteousness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava side is astonished by the valor displayed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, and that celestial beings also marvel. In the immediate combat scene, Dhṛṣṭadyumna is so tightly checked by Duḥśāsana that he is no longer seen clearly, compared to a lion subduing a great elephant.