Shloka 20
तमायान्तं महेष्वासं दृष्टवा भूतानि भारत । निहतं मेनिरे कर्ण पाण्डवेन महात्मना
tam āyāntaṁ maheṣvāsaṁ dṛṣṭvā bhūtāni bhārata | nihataṁ menire karṇa pāṇḍavena mahātmanā || prayāhi śīghraṁ govinda sūtaputra-jighāṁsayā | vindānuvindāv āvantyau kāmbojaṁ ca sudakṣiṇam | śrutāyuṣaṁ mahāvīryam acyutāyuṣam eva ca | pratyudgamya bhavet kṣemī yo na syāt tvam iva prabho ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata, als der große Bogenschütze in Sicht kam, meinten die Wesen (auf dem Schlachtfeld), Karṇa sei vom hochherzigen Pāṇḍava erschlagen worden. ‘Zieh rasch aus, Govinda, in der Absicht, den Sohn des Wagenlenkers (Karna) zu töten!’ Wenn einer hinausginge, um Vindānu-vinda aus Avanti, den Kāmboja, Sudakṣiṇa, den hochgewaltigen Śrutāyus und Acyutāyus zu stellen, könnte er wohl heil zurückkehren — doch niemand vermöchte es wie du, o Herr.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly perception can turn into certainty amid war—beings assume Karṇa is slain—while also underscoring the exceptional capacity of Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) to confront formidable foes and still ensure safety. It implicitly contrasts ordinary human limits with divinely guided leadership and resolve.
Sañjaya reports that as a great archer advances, the battlefield witnesses believe Karṇa has already been killed by a Pāṇḍava. A call is made to Govinda to move swiftly with the aim of killing Karṇa, and the verse lists powerful warriors (Vindānu-vinda, Kāmboja, Sudakṣiṇa, Śrutāyus, Acyutāyus) to emphasize the danger—yet affirms that only Govinda can meet such threats and return safely.