Shloka 24
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
शक्रतुल्यबलो युद्धे यमतुल्य: पराक्रमे । रामतुल्यस्तथास्त्रेण स कथं वै निषूदित:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
śakra-tulya-balo yuddhe yama-tulyaḥ parākrame |
rāma-tulyas tathāstreṇa sa kathaṃ vai niṣūditaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Im Kampf war er an Kraft Indra gleich, an Tapferkeit Yama gleich und an Waffenmeisterschaft Rāma (Paraśurāma) gleich. Wie also konnte Karṇa zu Fall gebracht und getötet werden?“
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: even extraordinary power and skill do not guarantee victory when destiny, prior deeds, and the complex web of dharma in war converge. Yudhiṣṭhira’s astonishment frames Karṇa’s fall as a moral and causal problem, not merely a tactical one.
After Karṇa’s death, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on Karṇa’s renowned might—likening him to Indra, Yama, and Paraśurāma in different dimensions—and asks how such a formidable warrior could have been killed, prompting an explanation of the circumstances and causes behind Karṇa’s defeat.