कर्ण तु शूरं पतितं पृथिव्यां शराचितं शोणितदिग्धगात्रम् । यदृच्छया सूर्यमिवावनिस्थं दिदृक्षव: सम्परिवार्य तस्थु:
karṇaṃ tu śūraṃ patitaṃ pṛthivyāṃ śarācitaṃ śoṇitadigdhagātram | yadṛcchayā sūryam ivāvani-sthaṃ didṛkṣavaḥ samparivārya tasthuḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Karṇa, aquele herói, jazia caído sobre a terra, o corpo traspassado por flechas e todo manchado de sangue. Ali deitado, como o sol que, por um estranho volteio do destino, tivesse descido ao chão, tornou-se um espetáculo que atraía todos os olhares: as pessoas ficaram ao redor, cercando seu cadáver, ávidas por contemplá-lo.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the paradox of martial glory: a warrior’s fame can remain radiant even when the body is broken. It also points to the role of yadṛcchā—an unpredictable turn of fate—suggesting that human prowess operates within larger forces, and that the battlefield exposes both the dignity and the fragility of kṣatriya life.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa has fallen on the battlefield, riddled with arrows and covered in blood. His fallen form draws onlookers, who gather around and stand encircling him, as if beholding a sun-like figure brought down to earth by destiny.