Shloka 21
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
युध्यमानं रणे कर्ण कुरुवीरो व्यपालयत् । भरतश्रेष्ठ। भाइयोंसहित कुरुवीर दुर्योधन कौरववीरों तथा मद्रदेशीय महारथियोंसे सुरक्षित हो रणभूमिमें पाण्डवों, पांचालों, चेदिदेशके वीरों तथा सात्यकिके साथ जूझते हुए कर्णकी रक्षा करने लगा || १९-२० $ ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
yudhyamānaṃ raṇe karṇaṃ kuruvīro vyapālayat | bharataśreṣṭha | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ kuruvīro duryodhanaḥ kauravavīrān tathā madradeśīyān mahārathīn parigṛhya raṇabhūmau pāṇḍavān pāñcālāṃś ca cedideśasya vīrān sātyakiṃ ca saha yudhyamānaḥ karṇasya rakṣāṃ cakāra ||
三阇耶说道：噢，婆罗多族中最卓越者，当迦尔纳在战场上鏖战之时，那位俱卢勇士护卫着他。难敌与诸兄弟并肩，周遭环列俱卢诸雄与摩陀罗的大车战士，冲入战阵；在与般度五子、旁遮罗军、支提国诸勇以及萨底耆交锋之际，他亲自承担起守护迦尔纳的重任。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of loyalty and protective duty within a warrior alliance: Duryodhana treats Karṇa as a pivotal ally whose safety is strategically and personally essential, illustrating how kṣatriya obligations (rakṣā, yuddha) operate even amid morally fraught conflict.
As Karṇa fights, Duryodhana—accompanied by his brothers and supported by Kaurava warriors and Madra chariot-champions—engages the opposing forces (Pāṇḍavas, Pāñcālas, Cedi heroes, and Sātyaki) while specifically acting to protect Karṇa on the battlefield.