Shloka 6
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
कुण्डलाभ्यां च दिव्याभ्यां वियुक्त: सततं घृणी । अभिशापाच्च रामस्य ब्राह्मणस्य च भाषणात्
kuṇḍalābhyāṃ ca divyābhyāṃ viyuktaḥ satataṃ ghṛṇī | abhiśāpāc ca rāmasya brāhmaṇasya ca bhāṣaṇāt ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—দিব্য কুণ্ডলদ্বয় থেকে বঞ্চিত হয়ে এই কর্ণ সর্বদা তাচ্ছিল্যভাবাপন্ন। পরশুরামের অভিশাপ এবং এক ব্রাহ্মণের শাপবাক্যে তার শক্তি ক্ষয়প্রাপ্ত হয়েছে।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and reputation in war are not merely personal claims; they depend on integrity, rightful qualifications, and the moral consequences of one’s actions. Curses here symbolize ethical causality: deception and contempt invite downfall, and even great skill can be undone when dharma is compromised.
In the Udyoga Parva, Bhīṣma assesses Karṇa’s true battle-worthiness. He notes Karṇa’s loss of his divine earrings and recalls the curses of Paraśurāma and a brāhmaṇa, concluding that Karṇa is fatally disadvantaged and will not survive a direct encounter with Arjuna.