संजय उवाच
स सिद्धिमन्तं रथम् उत्तमं दृढं; सकूबरं हेमपरिष्कृतं शुभम् ॥
पताकिनं वातजवैर् हयोत्तमैर्; युक्तं समास्थाय ययौ जयाय ॥
संपूज्यमानः कुरुभिर् महात्मा; रथर्षभः पाण्डुरवाजियाता ॥
ययौ तदायोधनम् उग्रधन्वा; यत्रावसानं भरतर्षभस्य ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
sa siddhimantaṃ ratham uttamaṃ dṛḍhaṃ; sakūbaraṃ hemapariṣkṛtaṃ śubham ||
patākinaṃ vātajavair hayottamair; yuktaṃ samāsthāya yayau jayāya ||
saṃpūjyamānaḥ kurubhir mahātmā; ratharṣabhaḥ pāṇḍuravājiyātā ||
yayau tadāyodhanam ugradhanvā; yatrāvasānaṃ bharatarṣabhasya ||
He [Karna], having mounted the finest chariot bringing success — sturdy, with a strong pole, adorned with gold, beautiful, crowned with pennons, yoked with choice horses swift as the wind — set forth for victory. Honored by the Kurus, great of soul, a bull among chariot-warriors, riding on white horses, the fearsome-bowed one, set forth then to the battlefield — to where was the final resting place of the bull of the Bharatas [Bhishma].
a248289805ce · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Karna heads first of all to where «was the final resting place of Bhishma» — not straight at the enemy, but to the deathbed of the elder: even in his rush to battle he honors the departed, and this reverence elevates the warrior. The chariot «brings success», the horses are white, the Kurus acclaim him — everything appears favorable; but the narrative has already sown the seed of a different outcome through Karna's own repeated admission that the Pandava host is unconquerable. Thus the splendor of the departure casts a shadow of the fate to come. The verse teaches that reverence for a worthy fallen one does not leave the noble even in the hour of war; and that outward favor — honors, white horses, an «auspicious» chariot — is no guarantee of victory where there is no righteousness.