Shloka 3
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
तानवेक्ष्य नरश्रेष्ठ विमना दु:खितस्तदा । नि:श्वसन् दीर्घमुष्णं च पुन: पाण्डवम भ्ययात्,नरश्रेष्ठ उनकी वह अवस्था देखकर उस समय कर्णको बहुत दुःख हुआ। उसका मन उदास हो गया। वह गरम-गरम लंबी साँस खींचता हुआ पुनः पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनके सामने आया
tān avekṣya naraśreṣṭha vimanā duḥkhitas tadā | niḥśvasan dīrgham uṣṇaṃ ca punaḥ pāṇḍavam abhyayāt ||
तानवेक्ष्य नरश्रेष्ठ विमना दुःखितस्तदा। निःश्वसन् दीर्घमुष्णं च पुनः पाण्डवमभ्ययात्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner cost of violence: even a mighty warrior can be shaken by what he witnesses, yet he returns to action. It frames battlefield conduct as a tension between human sorrow and the kṣatriya imperative to continue one’s appointed duty.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa’s reaction after seeing the situation before him: Karṇa becomes dejected and sorrowful, exhales long, heated breaths, and then advances again toward the Pāṇḍava—identified in the received context as Bhīmasena—re-entering the confrontation.