Shloka 12
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
एताज्जित्वा महावीर्य: कर्ण: शत्रुगणान् बहून् । जितवान् मां महाबाहो यतमानो महारणे
etāj jitvā mahāvīryaḥ karṇaḥ śatrugaṇān bahūn | jitavān māṁ mahābāho yatamāno mahāraṇe ||
O Starkarmiger! In jener großen Schlacht besiegte der hochgewaltige Karṇa, um den Sieg ringend, viele Scharen der Feinde und bezwang auch mich.
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights heroic ethics in war: acknowledging an opponent’s prowess without resentment. Yudhiṣṭhira’s admission models humility and truthfulness—recognizing that disciplined effort (yatamānaḥ) and valor can yield victory even against a righteous king.
In the course of the great battle, Yudhiṣṭhira recalls/declares that Karṇa, after defeating many enemy formations, also overcame Yudhiṣṭhira himself. The statement underscores Karṇa’s battlefield dominance at this point in the Karṇa Parva.