Mahabharata 7.139.3 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 139, 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
tān avekṣya naraśreṣṭha vimanā duḥkhitas tadā | niḥśvasan dīrgham uṣṇaṃ ca punaḥ pāṇḍavam abhyayāt ||
அவர்களை அந்த நிலையில்கண்டு, நரசிறந்தவனே, கர்ணன் மனம் தளர்ந்து ஆழ்ந்த துயரில் ஆழ்ந்தான். நீண்ட, சூடான மூச்சுகளை இழுத்தபடி, அவன் மீண்டும் பாண்டவன்—பீமசேனன்—நோக்கி முன்னேறினான்.
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.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.