Shloka 166
अप्यपश्यत राधेयं शीतार्ता इव भास्करम् | धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--सूत! तत्पश्चात् दुर्योधनने क्या किया। मूर्खो! तुमलोगोंका मन जो वैकर्तन कर्णकी ओर गया था
apy apaśyata rādhēyaṁ śītārtā iva bhāskaram |
सञ्जय उवाच—अप्यपश्यत राधेयं शीतार्ता इव भास्करम्। यथा शीतपीडिता जन्तवः सूर्यं प्रति दृष्टिं नयन्ति, तथा किं यूयमपि राधापुत्रं कर्णं प्रति आशां च मनश्च न्यधत्त?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a simile to show how people in distress instinctively turn to what they believe can save them. Ethically, it highlights the difference between relying on sheer power (a heroic warrior) and relying on dharma; in crisis, attachment to a single strong protector can eclipse moral discernment.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, points out that the Kaurava side’s gaze and expectation were fixed on Karna, as if he were the sun to those suffering from cold—implying that they saw him as their chief hope in the unfolding combat.