Shloka 21
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
स तु तेन प्रहारेण पीडित: प्रमुमोह वै । स्रस्तगात्रो महाबाहुर्धनुरुत्सृज्य स्यन्दने,उस प्रहारसे पीड़ित हो महाबाहु कर्ण धनुष छोड़कर रथपर ही मूर्च्छित हो गया। उसका सारा शरीर शिथिल हो गया था
sa tu tena prahāreṇa pīḍitaḥ pramumoha vai | srastagātro mahābāhur dhanur utsṛjya syandane ||
Sañjaya nói: Bị đòn ấy hành hạ, Karṇa thực sự ngất lịm. Vị dũng sĩ tay dài, tứ chi rã rời, để tuột cung khỏi tay và gục bất tỉnh ngay trên chiến xa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of martial strength: even a celebrated hero can be undone by a single effective blow. In the ethical frame of the Mahābhārata, it points to the battlefield as a realm where karma, circumstance, and human limitation converge—warning against pride and reminding that outcomes are not fully controllable.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, struck by a powerful attack, loses consciousness. His body goes limp, he releases his bow, and he collapses on his chariot, indicating a temporary incapacitation in the midst of combat.