Shloka 5
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
एष नैव रथ: कर्णो न चाप्यतिरथो रणे | वियुक्त: कवचेनैष सहजेन विचेतन:
eṣa naiva rathaḥ karṇo na cāpy atiratho raṇe | viyuktaḥ kavacenaiṣa sahajena vicetanaḥ ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—এই কর্ণ এখন যুদ্ধে না রথী, না অতিরথী। জন্মগত কবচ থেকে বঞ্চিত হয়ে সে যেন চেতনাহীন হয়ে পড়েছে।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames martial greatness as dependent not only on reputation but on actual capacity and the conditions that sustain it; when one’s decisive protections and supports are lost, pride and hostility cannot substitute for discernment, and consequences in war become inescapable.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhīṣma evaluates Karṇa’s true battle-worthiness and predicts that, having been deprived of his natural armor, Karṇa is no longer of the highest class of warriors and will not survive a direct clash with Arjuna.