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 ||
Karna sprach: „Wer bist du in Wahrheit, o Bester der Brahmanen? Bist du die verkörperte Lehre des Bogenschießens, oder Rama (Paraśurāma) selbst? Oder bist du Indra, Herr der fahlbraunen Rosse, oder gar Viṣṇu — Acyuta, der Unfehlbare —, der vor mir erschienen ist?“
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.