Shloka 17
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
किं त्वं साक्षाद् धनुर्वेदो रामो वा विप्रसत्तम | अथ साक्षाद्धरिहय: साक्षाद् वा विष्णुरच्युत:
kiṁ tvaṁ sākṣād dhanurvedo rāmo vā viprasattama | atha sākṣād harihayaḥ sākṣād vā viṣṇur acyutaḥ ||
قال كارْنا: «من أنت حقًّا، يا أفضلَ البراهمة؟ أأنتَ علمُ الرماية متجسِّدًا، أم رامَ (باراشوراما) نفسه؟ أم أنتَ إندرا، ربُّ الجياد الشُّقر، أم لعلّك فيشنو—أَچْيُوتا، الذي لا يزول مجده—قد تجلّى أمامي؟»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary skill and presence can evoke reverence and self-restraint: Karna frames unmatched martial excellence as potentially divine, reminding that power should be approached with humility and discernment, not mere arrogance.
Karna addresses an exceptional brahmin-like figure and, struck by his prowess, wonders whether he is the personified Dhanurveda, Paraśurāma, Indra, or Viṣṇu himself—an expression of astonishment and respect in a tense encounter.