Shloka 20
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
धनंजय! मैं जहाँ-जहाँ भी जाता, कर्णसे भयभीत होनेके कारण सदा उसीको अपने सामने खड़ा देखता था ।।
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: Dhanañjaya! so ’haṁ tenaiva vīreṇa samareṣv apalāyinā, sahayaḥ sarathaḥ Pārtha, jitvā jīvan visarjitaḥ.
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)! Wohin ich auch ging, ließ mich die Furcht vor Karṇa ihn stets vor mir stehen sehen. Wahrlich, o Pārtha, eben jener Held—der im Kampf niemals den Rücken kehrt—besiegte mich im Gefecht samt Wagen und Rossen und ließ mich doch am Leben.“
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of steadfastness (not fleeing) alongside an ethical restraint: even after victory, a fighter may choose to spare an opponent. It also shows how fear and psychological pressure shape a leader’s experience in war.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna, confessing that Karṇa’s presence haunted him wherever he went. He recalls that Karṇa defeated him in battle—overpowering him with his chariot and horses—yet did not kill him and instead let him go alive.