तेनार्द्यमानाः समरे द्रवमाणाश् च सोमकाः ॥
व्यराजन्त महाराज प्रदीपैर् अवभासिताः ॥
तांस् तु निर्जित्य समरे कर्णपुत्रो व्यरोचत ॥
मध्यंदिनम् अनुप्राप्तो घर्मांशुर् इव भारत ॥
तेषु राजसहस्रेषु तावकेषु परेषु च ॥
एक एव ज्वलंस् तस्थौ वृषसेनः प्रतापवान् ॥
स विजित्य रणे शूरान् सोमकानां महारथान् ॥
जगाम त्वरितस् तत्र यत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरः ॥
tenārdyamānāḥ samare dravamāṇāś ca somakāḥ ||
vyarājanta mahārāja pradīpair avabhāsitāḥ ||
tāṃs tu nirjitya samare karṇaputro vyarocata ||
madhyaṃdinam anuprāpto gharmāṃśur iva bhārata ||
teṣu rājasahasreṣu tāvakeṣu pareṣu ca ||
eka eva jvalaṃs tasthau vṛṣasenaḥ pratāpavān ||
sa vijitya raṇe śūrān somakānāṃ mahārathān ||
jagāma tvaritas tatra yatra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Beaten by him in battle and fleeing, the Somakas shone, O great king, illumined by lamps. Having conquered them in battle, Karna's son blazed forth like the scorching-rayed sun having reached noon, O Bharata. Among those thousands of kings, yours and the enemy's, alone, blazing, stood Vrishasena, formidable. He, having conquered the brave Somakas, great warriors, in battle, swiftly went there where King Yudhishthira was.
bbc6eae3f198 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Vrishasena, Karna's young son, stands "alone, blazing, like the noonday sun" — the hour of his brief triumph. It is notable that the Mahabharata generously crowns with glory even those soon to fall: Vrishasena has not long to live. The verse teaches that earthly glory is like noon: brightest just before the sunset; and one who shines now at the summit of valor does not know how near his own evening is. The brilliance of victory does not cancel decay — it only foreshadows it.