Shloka 37
कथं नु पापोदयमपेतध धर्म: सूतात्मज: समरेउद्य प्रसहा । पज्चालानां योधमुख्याननेकान् निजघ्निवांस्तव जिष्णो समक्षम्
kathaṃ nu pāpodayam apetadharmaḥ sūtātmajaḥ samare ’dyaprasahā | pāñcālānāṃ yodhamukhyān anekān nijaghnivāṃs tava jiṣṇoḥ samakṣam ||
कथं नु पापोदयमपेतधर्मः सूतात्मजः समरेऽद्य प्रसह्य। पाञ्चालानां योधमुख्याननेकान् निजघ्निवांस्तव जिष्णोः समक्षम्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: martial success can occur even when dharma is eclipsed. Sañjaya’s astonishment frames Karṇa’s violent effectiveness as a sign of adharma’s temporary ascendancy, reminding the listener that battlefield outcomes do not automatically validate moral rightness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, fighting with force and disregard for dharma, has slain many leading Pāñcāla warriors, and that this has happened in Arjuna’s very presence—underscoring both Karṇa’s ferocity and the intensity of the ongoing battle.