Shloka 386
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५७
Arjuna’s targeted advance; Śalya–Karṇa dialogue; interception attempts
जल त्यक्त्वा प्रधावन्ति क्रोशमाना: परस्परम् । “अर्जुन! कितने ही योद्धा पानी लानेके लिये गये
jalaṁ tyaktvā pradhāvanti krośamānāḥ parasparam |
三阇耶说道：他们把水罐抛下，四散奔走，彼此呼号。这一幕显出战争滋生的残酷与徒劳：救命之举终究来得太迟，悲恸压倒了职责；那些取水归来的战士见自家亲族昏厥倒地，便将水弃于原处，哀号着四处狂奔。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating moral and emotional fallout of war: practical duties (bringing water to the wounded) are eclipsed by shock and grief when death has already occurred. It implicitly warns that violence multiplies suffering beyond the immediate act of killing, unraveling composure, duty, and human bonds.
On the battlefield, some warriors had gone to fetch water for those suffering from thirst. When they return, they find their relatives and comrades already unconscious or dead; in despair they throw down the water and run about, crying to one another.