Shloka 21
यदाप्रभृति कर्णाय शक्तिर्दत्ता महात्मना । वासवेन महाबाहो क्षिप्ता यासै घटोत्कचे,महाबाहो! जबसे महात्मा इन्द्रने कर्णको उसके दिव्य कवच और कुण्डलोंके बदलेमें अपनी शक्ति दी थी, जिसे उसने घटोत्कचपर चला दिया है, उस शक्तिको पाकर धर्मात्मा कर्ण सदा तुम्हें रणभूमिमें मारा गया ही मानता था
yadāprabhṛti karṇāya śaktir dattā mahātmanā | vāsavena mahābāho kṣiptā yāsai ghaṭotkace ||
منذ أن منح فاسافا (إندرا) العظيم النفس كَرْنَةَ «الشَّكْتي» الإلهية—عِوَضًا عن درعه السماوي وقرطَيْه—ثم أُلقيت تلك السلاح على غَطوتكَجَة، صار كَرْنَةُ، بعد أن نال تلك الشكتي (وأنفقها)، يعدّك دائمًا، يا عظيم الذراعين، كأنك مقتولٌ سلفًا في ساحة القتال.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how reliance on extraordinary divine gifts can create overconfidence and a sense of predetermined victory, raising ethical questions about merit, fairness, and the shifting balance between human effort and divine intervention in war.
Vāyudeva recalls that Indra gave Karṇa the divine Śakti in exchange for Karṇa’s innate celestial armor and earrings; Karṇa later used that Śakti against Ghaṭotkaca. After obtaining (and using) it, Karṇa habitually assumed his opponent addressed here as ‘mahābāho’ was as good as already killed in battle.