Shloka 27
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
“मान्यवर! जैसे सूर्य और अरुणको देखते ही अन्धकार नष्ट हो जाता है, उसी प्रकार आप दोनोंको देखकर कुन्तीके पुत्र, पांचाल और सूंजय नष्ट हो जायाँ ।।
sañjaya uvāca | mānyavara! yathā sūryam aruṇaṃ ca dṛṣṭvaiva andhakāro naśyati, tathā yuvaṃ dṛṣṭvā kuntīputrāḥ pāñcālāḥ sūñjayāś ca naśyeyuḥ || rathināṃ pravaraḥ karṇo yantr̥ṇāṃ pravaro bhavān | saṃyogo yuvayor loke nābhūn na ca bhaviṣyati ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Ehrwürdiger Herr! Wie die Finsternis im Augenblick vergeht, sobald Sonne und Aruṇa erscheinen, so würden beim Anblick von euch beiden die Söhne Kuntīs, die Pāñcālas und die Sṛñjayas zugrunde gehen. Karṇa ist der Vortrefflichste unter den Wagenkriegern, und du bist der Vortrefflichste unter den Wagenlenkern. Eine solche Vereinigung von euch beiden in dieser Welt hat es nie zuvor gegeben—und wird es nie wieder geben.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisive outcomes in war can hinge on the right combination of excellence—skill in combat (Karna as rathinām pravaraḥ) joined with mastery of control and guidance (the supreme charioteer). Ethically, it shows how praise and confidence are used to frame victory as ‘inevitable,’ shaping morale and perception as much as physical strength.
Sañjaya, reporting events of the battlefield, extols the formidable pairing of Karna with an unparalleled charioteer. Using the image of darkness vanishing at the sight of the Sun and Aruṇa, he predicts that the Pāṇḍavas and their allies (Pāñcālas and Sṛñjayas) would be overwhelmed upon seeing this combination.