Shloka 3
वज्नेण निहतो वृत्र: संयुगे भूरितेजसा । त्वया तु निहतः कर्णो धनुषा निशितै: शरै:,“वृत्रासुर युद्धमें महातेजस्वी वज्रके द्वारा मारा गया था; परंतु तुमने कर्णको धनुष एवं पैने बाणोंसे ही मार डाला है
vajreṇa nihato vṛtraḥ saṃyuge bhūritejasā | tvayā tu nihataḥ karṇo dhanuṣā niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Em combate, Vṛtra foi morto pelo vajra do de imenso esplendor (Indra). Mas tu, ó Dhanañjaya, mataste Karṇa com um arco, por meio de flechas afiadas. A afirmação realça uma proeza marcial extraordinária: um inimigo outrora abatido apenas por uma arma divina é aqui posto em paralelo com a queda de Karṇa pela perícia humana e pelo esforço firme, intensificando o peso moral e a grandeza trágica da guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the magnitude of Karṇa’s fall by comparing it to the mythic slaying of Vṛtra by Indra’s vajra. Ethically, it frames the event as a moment of grave consequence in the war: human agency and skill can achieve what is otherwise attributed to divine weaponry, thereby intensifying responsibility, fame, and the tragic cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, contrasting two slayings: Vṛtra was killed in battle by Indra’s thunderbolt, whereas Karṇa has been killed by the addressee (contextually Arjuna) using a bow and sharp arrows. The comparison serves to magnify the deed and the stature of the fallen warrior.