Shloka 50
तथा कर्ण महेष्वासं पुत्रास्तव नराधिप । उपालीयन्त संत्रासात् पाण्डवस्थ महात्मन:
tathā karṇa maheṣvāsaṃ putrās tava narādhipa | upālīyanta saṃtrāsāt pāṇḍavastha mahātmanaḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O hari, kung paanong ang mga nilalang na takot sa kamatayan ay kumakapit sa dharma bilang kanlungan, gayon din ang iyong mga anak—nanginginig sa takot kay Arjuna, ang dakilang Pāṇḍava—ay nagsimulang humanap ng silong sa likuran ni Karṇa, ang makapangyarihang mamamana.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral analogy: just as beings threatened by death instinctively seek the protection of dharma, so frightened warriors seek a protector in battle. It highlights how fear drives refuge-seeking, and it implicitly contrasts true refuge (dharma) with worldly refuge (a powerful fighter).
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes, alarmed by Arjuna’s might on the battlefield, cluster behind Karṇa for protection, treating him as their shield against the Pāṇḍava hero.