Shloka 15
कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्
Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words
अन्योन्यं समरे जष्नुर्योधव्रतमनुछिता: । नहि ते समरं चक्र: पृष्ठठो वै कथठ्चन,वे वीर योद्धाके व्रतका पालन करते हुए युद्धस्थलमें एक-दूसरेको मारते थे। उन्होंने किसी तरह भी युद्धमें पीठ नहीं दिखायी
anyonyam samare jaghnur yodhavratam anucchitāḥ | nahi te samaraṃ cakruḥ pṛṣṭhato vai kathañcana ||
Sañjaya thưa: Giữ trọn đạo thề của chiến binh, không hề sai lệch, họ chém giết lẫn nhau trên chiến địa. Chưa từng khi nào họ quay lưng trong trận chiến; các dũng sĩ ấy tuyệt không chọn đường thoái lui.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights yodha-vrata (the warrior’s ethical code): steadfastness, courage, and refusal to retreat or fight dishonorably. It frames battlefield conduct as a matter of dharma—discipline and honor even amid violence.
Sanjaya describes the combatants in the Karna Parva as fighting fiercely and directly, killing one another while maintaining the accepted rules of warrior conduct, and never showing their backs—i.e., not fleeing or turning away from the fight.