Shloka 216
कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief
कृत्वा नसुकरं कर्म गता वैवस्वतक्षयम् । प्रजानाथ! और भी बहुत-से पराक्रमी नरेश आपकी सेनाका सामना करते हुए दुष्कर पराक्रम करके यमलोकमें जा पहुँचे हैं
kṛtvā na sukaraṃ karma gatā vaivasvatakṣayam | prajānātha! aur bhī bahut-se parākramī nareśa āpakī senā kā sāmnā karate hue duṣkara parākrama karke yamalokamẽ jā pahũce haĩ |
सञ्जय उवाच—असाधु कर्म कृत्वा बहवो महाबला नृपाः वैवस्वतक्षयं गताः। प्रजानाथ! तव सेनां समभिद्रुत्य अन्येऽपि बहवो विक्रान्ता नरेशा दुष्करं पराक्रमं प्रदर्श्य यमलोकं प्राप्ताः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic: in the kṣatriya context, confronting an enemy army demands extraordinary courage, and death in such arduous action is portrayed as the inevitable consequence of heroic engagement with mortal stakes.
Sañjaya reports to the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) that many powerful rulers, while facing his side’s army, performed difficult feats of valor and consequently fell in battle—described as reaching Yama’s realm (Vaivasvata’s abode).