Shloka 60
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
कण्णाग्निना रणे तद्वद् दग्धा भारत सृञ्जया: । भरतनन्दन! जैसे जलती आगमें पड़ जानेपर सभी मनुष्य दग्ध हो जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार सूंजय-सैनिक रणभूमिमें कर्णरूपी अग्निसे जलकर भस्म हो गये ।। कर्णेन चेदिकैकेयपाञ्चालेषु च भारत
karṇāgninā raṇe tadvad dagdhā bhārata sṛñjayāḥ | bharatanandana! yathā jvalitāgnau patitāḥ sarve manuṣyā dagdhā bhavanti, tathā sṛñjaya-sainikā raṇabhūmau karṇa-rūpeṇāgninā dagdhā bhasmībhūtāḥ || karṇena ca cedikaikeyapāñcāleṣu ca bhārata
Sañjaya nói: Hỡi Bhārata, hỡi niềm vui của dòng Bhārata—cũng như mọi người đều bị thiêu cháy khi rơi vào ngọn lửa đang bừng bừng, thì các chiến binh Sṛñjaya trên chiến địa cũng bị Karṇa—tựa chính ngọn lửa—thiêu đốt và hóa thành tro. Và Karṇa cũng lần lượt quật ngã người Cedi, Kaikeya và Pāñcāla nữa, hỡi Bhārata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the catastrophic power unleashed in war: when a warrior’s prowess becomes ‘fire-like,’ entire communities are consumed. Ethically, it highlights how martial excellence, when directed toward mass slaughter, turns the battlefield into a space of irreversible loss—inviting reflection on the cost of kṣatriya violence and the fragility of human life.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa is devastating the Pāṇḍava-aligned forces. Using a fire simile, he says the Sṛñjaya soldiers are burned to ashes by Karṇa’s onslaught, and adds that Karṇa is also striking down the Cedis, Kaikeyas, and Pāñcālas.