संजय उवाच
महाप्रभावे वरदे निपातिते; लोकश्रेष्ठे शांतनवे महौजसि ॥
पराजितेषु भरतेषु दुर्मनाः; कर्णो भृशं न्यश्वसद् अश्रु वर्तयन् ॥
इदं तु राधेयवचो निशम्य ते; सुताश् च राजंस् तव सैनिकाश् च ह ॥
परस्परं चुक्रुशुर् आर्तिजं भृशं; तदाश्रु नेत्रैर् मुमुचुर् हि शब्दवत् ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
mahāprabhāve varade nipātite; lokaśreṣṭhe śāṃtanave mahaujasi ||
parājiteṣu bharateṣu durmanāḥ; karṇo bhṛśaṃ nyaśvasad aśru vartayan ||
idaṃ tu rādheyavaco niśamya te; sutāś ca rājaṃs tava sainikāś ca ha ||
parasparaṃ cukruśur ārtijaṃ bhṛśaṃ; tadāśru netrair mumucur hi śabdavat ||
When the mighty giver of boons, the best in the world, Shantanava [Bhishma], of vast might, was struck down, and the Bharatas were defeated, the despondent Karna sighed heavily, shedding tears. Hearing this speech of Radheya [Karna], O king, both your sons and your warriors cried out to one another loudly in a wail of anguish, and then let tears fall from their eyes, sobbing aloud.
b40c86e9de1e · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Karna, himself a slayer of heroes, weeps — and his tears are no weakness, but the mark of a heart able to honor a fallen foe more than others honor an ally. The grief that seizes the whole army is contagious: the sorrow of one mighty man echoes in thousands, for men imitate their leader in spirit. It is telling that this weeping is universal — it shows how deeply Bhishma's fall struck the very soul of the host. The verse teaches that even the valiant may rightly shed a tear for one who is worthy; that a leader's mood spreads through the whole camp, for good or ill; and that an army given over to weeping before the battle is already broken in spirit — and a broken spirit foreruns defeat.