Shloka 21
कर्णसेनापत्यारम्भः — Karṇa’s Appointment and the Report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Chapter 1
मैं समझता हूँ कि बड़े भारी संकटमें पड़ जानेपर भी मनुष्योंके लिये अपने प्राणोंका परित्याग करना अत्यन्त कठिन है, तभी तो कर्णवधका वृत्तान्त सुनकर भी राजा धुृतराष्ट्रने इस जीवनका त्याग नहीं किया
janamejaya uvāca — ahaṁ manye mahati saṅkaṭe patite’pi manuṣyāṇāṁ prāṇānāṁ parityāgaḥ atyantaṁ duṣkaraḥ; tata eva karṇavadhasya vṛttāntaṁ śrutvā’pi rājā dhṛtarāṣṭro na jīvitam atyajat.
Janamejaya nói: “Ta hiểu rằng, dù rơi vào tai ương cực lớn, con người vẫn vô cùng khó tự đoạn tuyệt mạng sống. Bởi thế, dù đã nghe chuyện Karṇa bị giết, vua Dhṛtarāṣṭra vẫn không lìa bỏ cõi đời này.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even under extreme suffering, the instinct to preserve life is powerful; human beings often endure grief rather than voluntarily relinquish life. The verse highlights psychological attachment and the difficulty of renunciation when faced with calamity.
Janamejaya reflects on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s response after hearing of Karṇa’s death: despite the crushing news in the war narrative, Dhṛtarāṣṭra continues living, illustrating how hard it is to give up life even in profound distress.