Mahabharata 3.236.5-15

Devanāgarī

वैशंपायन उवाच
धर्मराजनिसृष्टस् तु धार्तराष्ट्रः सुयोधनः ॥
लज्जयाधोमुखः सीदन्न् उपासर्पत् सुदुःखितः ॥
स्वपुरं प्रययौ राजा चतुरङ्गबलानुगः ॥
शोकोपहतया बुद्ध्या चिन्तयानः पराभवम् ॥
विमुच्य पथि यानानि देशे सुयवसोदके ॥
संनिविष्टः शुभे रम्ये भूमिभागे यथेप्सितम् ॥
हस्त्यश्वरथपादातं यथास्थानं न्यवेशयत् ॥
अथोपविष्टं राजानं पर्यङ्के ज्वलनप्रभे ॥
उपप्लुतं यथा सोमं राहुणा रात्रिसंक्षये ॥
उपगम्याब्रवीत् कर्णो दुर्योधनम् इदं तदा ॥
दिष्ट्या जीवसि गान्धारे दिष्ट्या नः संगमः पुनः ॥
दिष्ट्या त्वया जिताश् चैव गन्धर्वाः कामरूपिणः ॥
दिष्ट्या समग्रान् पश्यामि भ्रातॄंस् ते कुरुनन्दन ॥
विजिगीषून् रणान् मुक्तान् निर्जितारीन् महारथान् ॥
अहं त्व् अभिद्रुतः सर्वैर् गन्धर्वैः पश्यतस् तव ॥
नाशक्नुवं स्थापयितुं दीर्यमाणां स्ववाहिनीम् ॥
शरक्षताङ्गश् च भृशं व्यपयातो ऽभिपीडितः ॥
इदं त्व् अत्यद्भुतं मन्ये यद् युष्मान् इह भारत ॥
अरिष्टान् अक्षतांश् चापि सदारधनवाहनान् ॥
विमुक्तान् संप्रपश्यामि तस्माद् युद्धाद् अमानुषात् ॥
नैतस्य कर्ता लोके ऽस्मिन् पुमान् विद्येत भारत ॥
यत्कृतं ते महाराज सह भ्रातृभिर् आहवे ॥
एवम् उक्तस् तु कर्णेन राजा दुर्योधनस् तदा ॥
उवाचावाक्शिरा राजन् बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
dharmarājanisṛṣṭas tu dhārtarāṣṭraḥ suyodhanaḥ ||
lajjayādhomukhaḥ sīdann upāsarpat suduḥkhitaḥ ||
svapuraṃ prayayau rājā caturaṅgabalānugaḥ ||
śokopahatayā buddhyā cintayānaḥ parābhavam ||
vimucya pathi yānāni deśe suyavasodake ||
saṃniviṣṭaḥ śubhe ramye bhūmibhāge yathepsitam ||
hastyaśvarathapādātaṃ yathāsthānaṃ nyaveśayat ||
athopaviṣṭaṃ rājānaṃ paryaṅke jvalanaprabhe ||
upaplutaṃ yathā somaṃ rāhuṇā rātrisaṃkṣaye ||
upagamyābravīt karṇo duryodhanam idaṃ tadā ||
diṣṭyā jīvasi gāndhāre diṣṭyā naḥ saṃgamaḥ punaḥ ||
diṣṭyā tvayā jitāś caiva gandharvāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ ||
diṣṭyā samagrān paśyāmi bhrātṝṃs te kurunandana ||
vijigīṣūn raṇān muktān nirjitārīn mahārathān ||
ahaṃ tv abhidrutaḥ sarvair gandharvaiḥ paśyatas tava ||
nāśaknuvaṃ sthāpayituṃ dīryamāṇāṃ svavāhinīm ||
śarakṣatāṅgaś ca bhṛśaṃ vyapayāto 'bhipīḍitaḥ ||
idaṃ tv atyadbhutaṃ manye yad yuṣmān iha bhārata ||
ariṣṭān akṣatāṃś cāpi sadāradhanavāhanān ||
vimuktān saṃprapaśyāmi tasmād yuddhād amānuṣāt ||
naitasya kartā loke 'smin pumān vidyeta bhārata ||
yatkṛtaṃ te mahārāja saha bhrātṛbhir āhave ||
evam uktas tu karṇena rājā duryodhanas tadā ||
uvācāvākśirā rājan bāṣpagadgadayā girā ||

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

वैशंपायन उवाच धर्मराजनिसृष्टस् तु धार्तराष्ट्रः सुयोधनः ॥ लज्जयाधोमुखः सीदन्न् उपासर्पत् सुदुःखितः ॥ स्वपुरं प्रययौ राजा चतुरङ्गबलानुगः ॥ शोकोपहतया बुद्ध्या चिन्तयानः पराभवम् ॥ विमुच्य पथि यानानि देशे सुयवसोदके ॥ संनिविष्टः शुभे रम्ये भूमिभागे यथेप्सितम् ॥ हस्त्यश्वरथपादातं यथास्थानं न्यवेशयत् ॥ अथोपविष्टं राजानं पर्यङ्के ज्वलनप्रभे ॥ उपप्लुतं यथा सोमं राहुणा रात्रिसंक्षये ॥ उपगम्याब्रवीत् कर्णो दुर्योधनम् इदं तदा ॥ दिष्ट्या जीवसि गान्धारे दिष्ट्या नः संगमः पुनः ॥ दिष्ट्या त्वया जिताश् चैव गन्धर्वाः कामरूपिणः ॥ दिष्ट्या समग्रान् पश्यामि भ्रातॄंस् ते कुरुनन्दन ॥ विजिगीषून् रणान् मुक्तान् निर्जितारीन् महारथान् ॥ अहं त्व् अभिद्रुतः सर्वैर् गन्धर्वैः पश्यतस् तव ॥ नाशक्नुवं स्थापयितुं दीर्यमाणां स्ववाहिनीम् ॥ शरक्षताङ्गश् च भृशं व्यपयातो ऽभिपीडितः ॥ इदं त्व् अत्यद्भुतं मन्ये यद् युष्मान् इह भारत ॥ अरिष्टान् अक्षतांश् चापि सदारधनवाहनान् ॥ विमुक्तान् संप्रपश्यामि तस्माद् युद्धाद् अमानुषात् ॥ नैतस्य कर्ता लोके ऽस्मिन् पुमान् विद्येत भारत ॥ यत्कृतं ते महाराज सह भ्रातृभिर् आहवे ॥ एवम् उक्तस् तु कर्णेन राजा दुर्योधनस् तदा ॥ उवाचावाक्शिरा राजन् बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा ॥vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca dharmarājanisṛṣṭas tu dhārtarāṣṭraḥ suyodhanaḥ || lajjayādhomukhaḥ sīdann upāsarpat suduḥkhitaḥ || svapuraṃ prayayau rājā caturaṅgabalānugaḥ || śokopahatayā buddhyā cintayānaḥ parābhavam || vimucya pathi yānāni deśe suyavasodake || saṃniviṣṭaḥ śubhe ramye bhūmibhāge yathepsitam || hastyaśvarathapādātaṃ yathāsthānaṃ nyaveśayat || athopaviṣṭaṃ rājānaṃ paryaṅke jvalanaprabhe || upaplutaṃ yathā somaṃ rāhuṇā rātrisaṃkṣaye || upagamyābravīt karṇo duryodhanam idaṃ tadā || diṣṭyā jīvasi gāndhāre diṣṭyā naḥ saṃgamaḥ punaḥ || diṣṭyā tvayā jitāś caiva gandharvāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ || diṣṭyā samagrān paśyāmi bhrātṝṃs te kurunandana || vijigīṣūn raṇān muktān nirjitārīn mahārathān || ahaṃ tv abhidrutaḥ sarvair gandharvaiḥ paśyatas tava || nāśaknuvaṃ sthāpayituṃ dīryamāṇāṃ svavāhinīm || śarakṣatāṅgaś ca bhṛśaṃ vyapayāto 'bhipīḍitaḥ || idaṃ tv atyadbhutaṃ manye yad yuṣmān iha bhārata || ariṣṭān akṣatāṃś cāpi sadāradhanavāhanān || vimuktān saṃprapaśyāmi tasmād yuddhād amānuṣāt || naitasya kartā loke 'smin pumān vidyeta bhārata || yatkṛtaṃ te mahārāja saha bhrātṛbhir āhave || evam uktas tu karṇena rājā duryodhanas tadā || uvācāvākśirā rājan bāṣpagadgadayā girā ||Vaishampayana relates that Suyodhana, son of Dhritarashtra, released by the Dharmaraja, his face downcast with shame, suffering and greatly tormented, set out toward his city with his four-fold army, brooding on the defeat; along the way he halted in a beautiful place with grass and water, and stationed his elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers; as he sat on a couch shining like fire, yet himself like the moon struck by Rahu, Karna came to him and said: happy that he still lived, that they had met again, that he had overcome the gandharvas; Karna sees his brothers unharmed, though he himself had been unable to hold his own crumbling army together, had been wounded, and had withdrawn; he considers it a marvel that Duryodhana and his men were freed from that superhuman battle, for there is no man in the world capable of what he supposedly did together with his brothers; in reply, Duryodhana, his head bowed, speaks in a voice broken by tears.

Translation

Vaishampayana said: "Suyodhana, son of Dhritarashtra, released by the Dharmaraja, his face downcast with shame, suffering and sorely tormented, set out toward his city. The king marched with his four-fold army, his mind stricken with grief, brooding on his defeat. Having released the wagons along the way, he halted in a beautiful and pleasant spot with good grass and water, and stationed his elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers in their places. When the king had seated himself upon a couch that shone like fire, though he himself was like the moon eclipsed by Rahu at the end of night, Karna came to him and said to Duryodhana: 'It is good fortune that you are alive, son of Gandhari; good fortune that we have met again. It is good fortune that the shape-shifting gandharvas have been overcome by you. It is good fortune that I see all your brothers, the joy of the Kurus, whole, freed from battle and victorious over their foes. As for me, when all the gandharvas fell upon me before your very eyes, I could not hold together my own army, which was breaking apart. Sorely wounded by arrows and hard-pressed, I withdrew. But I consider it altogether marvelous, O Bharata, that I see you here unharmed, unwounded, together with your wives, your wealth, and your wagons, freed from that superhuman battle. There is no man in this world, O Bharata, capable of doing what you, great king, did in battle together with your brothers.' When Karna had said this, King Duryodhana, his head bowed, answered in a voice broken by tears."

Commentary

Karna, unknowingly, tries to console with false glory, and in doing so only lays bare Duryodhana's shame. The truth is heavier still than the fiction.

Version

f45a7a543cf7 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:27:10 PM UTC

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