Shloka 316
प्राणयोर्दीव्यतो राजन् कर्णराक्षसयोर्मुथे । राजन! युद्धके जूएमें प्राणोंकी बाजी लगाकर खेलते हुए कर्ण और राक्षसका वह रात्रियुद्ध दीर्थकालतक समानरूपमें ही चलता रहा
prāṇayor dīvyato rājan karṇarākṣasayor muthe | rājan yuddhake jūe meṃ prāṇoṃ kī bājī lagākar khelate hue karṇa aura rākṣasa kā vaha rātriyuddha dīrghakāla taka samānarūpa meṃ hī calatā rahā |
सञ्जय उवाच—प्राणयोर्दीव्यतो राजन् कर्णराक्षसयोर्मृधे। युद्धद्यूते प्राणान् पण्यीकृत्य यथा क्रीडतः, तथा तयोः रात्रियुद्धं दीर्घकालं समं प्रवृत्तं बभूव; न च कश्चिद्वयोः स्पष्टं प्राबल्यं लेभे॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a perilous ‘dice-game’ where life itself is the stake, highlighting the ethical gravity of battle: valor and duty may compel combat, yet the metaphor underscores how warfare turns human life into a wager, exposing the tragic cost and moral risk inherent in violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa and a Rākṣasa opponent are locked in a prolonged night-fight. The contest remains evenly balanced for a long time, with both combatants fighting as if staking their very lives.