Shloka 5
तस्यार्धचन्द्रैस्त्रिभिरुच्चकर्त प्रहस्य बाहू च शिरश्न कर्ण: । स स्यन्दनादू् गामगमद् गतासु: परश्ववैः शाल इवावरुग्ण:
tasyārdhacandrais tribhir uccakarta prahasya bāhū ca śiraś ca karṇaḥ | sa syandanād bhūmim agamad gatāsuḥ paraśvabhiḥ śāla iva avarugṇaḥ ||
สัญชัยกล่าวว่า—กรรณะหัวเราะแล้วใช้ศรหัวรูปเสี้ยวจันทร์สามดอกตัดแขนทั้งสองและศีรษะของศัตรูเสีย เขาสิ้นชีวิตตกจากรถศึกลงสู่พื้นดิน ดุจต้นศาละที่ถูกขวานโค่น
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethic of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma) where skill and resolve decide life and death instantly; it also highlights impermanence—life can be cut off as abruptly as a tree felled by axes—inviting reflection on the moral cost of war even when fought as duty.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, laughing in confidence, uses three crescent-headed arrows to cut off his opponent’s two arms and head; the slain warrior then drops lifeless from the chariot to the ground, compared to a śāla tree chopped down.