Shloka 50
तथा कर्ण महेष्वासं पुत्रास्तव नराधिप । उपालीयन्त संत्रासात् पाण्डवस्थ महात्मन:
tathā karṇa maheṣvāsaṃ putrās tava narādhipa | upālīyanta saṃtrāsāt pāṇḍavastha mahātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó rei, assim como os seres vivos, temendo a morte, buscam refúgio no dharma, do mesmo modo teus filhos—aterrorizados diante de Arjuna, o Pāṇḍava de grande alma—passaram a procurar abrigo atrás de Karṇa, o poderoso arqueiro.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral analogy: just as beings threatened by death instinctively seek the protection of dharma, so frightened warriors seek a protector in battle. It highlights how fear drives refuge-seeking, and it implicitly contrasts true refuge (dharma) with worldly refuge (a powerful fighter).
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes, alarmed by Arjuna’s might on the battlefield, cluster behind Karṇa for protection, treating him as their shield against the Pāṇḍava hero.