Shloka 503
स्वप्स्यन्ति निहता: कर्ण शतशो5थ सहस््रश: । “कर्ण! जब ऐसे अपशकुन प्रकट हो रहे हैं तो निश्चय ही आज सैकड़ों और हजारों नरेश मारे जाकर रणभूमिमें शयन करेंगे
svapsyanti nihatāḥ karṇa śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ |
Санджая сказал: «О Карна, когда являются такие дурные знамения, несомненно, сегодня сотни, а то и тысячи царей, сражённые в бою, будут лежать, словно уснув, на поле брани».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity and inevitability of mass death in war: ominous signs are read as warnings that adharma-driven conflict culminates in widespread destruction, reminding listeners of the heavy karmic and ethical cost borne by rulers and warriors.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa, interpreting the appearance of inauspicious omens as a sure indication that a catastrophic battle is imminent, in which many kings will be slain and will ‘sleep’—i.e., lie dead—on the battlefield.