तौ समेत्य नरव्याघ्रौ व्याघ्राव् इव तरस्विनौ ॥
अन्योन्यं संततक्षाते रणे ऽनुपमविक्रमौ ॥
ततः कर्णं शिनेः पौत्रः सर्वपारशवैः शरैः ॥
बिभेद सर्वगात्रेषु पुनः पुनर् अरिंदमः ॥
सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडाद् अपाहरत् ॥
अश्वांश् च चतुरः श्वेतान् निजघ्ने निशितैः शरैः ॥
छित्त्वा ध्वजं शतेनैव शतधा पुरुषर्षभः ॥
चकार विरथं कर्णं तव पुत्रस्य पश्यतः ॥
tau sametya naravyāghrau vyāghrāv iva tarasvinau ||
anyonyaṃ saṃtatakṣāte raṇe 'nupamavikramau ||
tataḥ karṇaṃ śineḥ pautraḥ sarvapāraśavaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
bibheda sarvagātreṣu punaḥ punar ariṃdamaḥ ||
sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apāharat ||
aśvāṃś ca caturaḥ śvetān nijaghne niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
chittvā dhvajaṃ śatenaiva śatadhā puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
cakāra virathaṃ karṇaṃ tava putrasya paśyataḥ ||
Those two, tigers among men, having met, like swift tigers tore at each other in battle, matchless in valor. Then the grandson of Shini [Satyaki] pierced Karna in all his limbs with wholly steel arrows, again and again, subduer of foes. He swept his charioteer from the chariot's frame with a bhalla arrow, and slew the four white horses with sharp shafts. Cutting the standard into a hundred pieces with a hundred shafts, the bull among men made Karna chariotless before the eyes of your son.
9195f38a2a6c · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:31:38 PM UTC
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Satyaki overcomes Karna as Karna had lately overcome others — stripping him of his chariot before Duryodhana's own eyes. It is notable that the circle repeats: the formidable Karna himself now suffers what he had inflicted on others. The verse teaches that in the round of mutual defeats there is no final advantage; and one who broke others' chariots sees his own broken in his turn, for the wheel of war spares no one.