हतप्रधानं त्व् इदम् आर्तरूपं; परैर् हतोत्साहम् अनाथम् अद्य वै ॥
मया कुरूणां परिपाल्यम् आहवे; बलं यथा तेन महात्मना तथा ॥
समाहितं चात्मनि भारम् ईदृशं; जगत् तथानित्यम् इदं च लक्षये ॥
निपातितं चाहवशौण्डम् आहवे; कथं नु कुर्याम् अहम् आहवे भयम् ॥
hatapradhānaṃ tv idam ārtarūpaṃ; parair hatotsāham anātham adya vai ||
mayā kurūṇāṃ paripālyam āhave; balaṃ yathā tena mahātmanā tathā ||
samāhitaṃ cātmani bhāram īdṛśaṃ; jagat tathānityam idaṃ ca lakṣaye ||
nipātitaṃ cāhavaśauṇḍam āhave; kathaṃ nu kuryām aham āhave bhayam ||
'This army, whose leader is slain, bearing the look of anguish, its zeal broken by the foes, is now defenseless. It falls to me to guard the host of the Kurus in battle, as that great-souled one [Bhishma] guarded [it]. And thus so heavy a burden is now placed upon me; and I see too that this world is impermanent, and that he [Bhishma], fierce for battle, has been struck down in the fray — how then could I show fear in battle?'
edaed9c19fe5 · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Karna takes upon himself the burden of the fallen — and in this acceptance of responsibility lies true valor: not to retreat when the ranks are beheaded and defenseless. His reasoning is simple and manly: if even Bhishma, fierce for battle, has fallen, why should I fear? — the thought of death does not weaken him but strengthens him, for it takes away fear's very ground. But to take upon himself the 'burden of guarding,' as Bhishma bore it, is once again to concentrate the army's fate in a single mortal. The verse teaches that the courage to accept responsibility deserves praise; but that any burden placed on one mortal hand is fragile — for even the strongest is transient, and the army's salvation lies not in a new leader but in the rightness of the cause, which here is absent.