Shloka 17
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
कृते<वहारे सैन्यानां प्रवृत्ते च रणे पुन:
kṛte ’vahāre sainyānāṃ pravṛtte ca raṇe punaḥ | sañjaya uvāca: sañjaya! senāko śibirakī ora lauṭāne ke bād jab rātri bītī aur prātaḥkāla punaḥ saṃgrāma ārambha huā, us samaya vaikartana karṇane vahāṃ kis prakāra yuddha kiyā tathā samasta pāṇḍavoṃne sūtaputra karṇake sātha kis prakāra yuddha ārambha kiyā? ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O Maharlikang Dhṛtarāṣṭra, matapos umurong ang mga hukbo at magbalik sa kampo, nang lumipas ang gabi at sa bukang-liwayway ay muling nagsimula ang labanan—paano nakipagdigma roon si Vaikartana Karṇa, at sa anong paraan sinimulan ng lahat ng Pāṇḍava ang pakikipaglaban kay Karṇa, ang anak ng tagapaghatid ng karwahe?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a regulated, time-bound duty: after withdrawal and rest, combat resumes at dawn. It also highlights how identity and reputation (e.g., ‘Vaikartana’, ‘sūtaputra’) shape moral perception in conflict, even as valor and duty remain central.
After the armies return to camp and the night passes, the battle begins again in the morning. The narrator introduces the next episode by asking how Karṇa fought and how the Pāṇḍavas collectively engaged him when the fighting resumed.