Shloka 21
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
कर्ण जो ऐसा समझता है कि युद्धमें धनुष उठाये हुए अर्जुनको जीत लेना सहज है, वह उसकी भूल है। पहले भी तो बड़े-बड़े युद्ध हो चुके हैं। उनमें कर्ण इन कौरवोंका आश्रयदाता क्यों न हो सका?
Karṇa yo evaṁ samajhate yuddhe dhanuṣ-uddhṛtaṁ Arjunaṁ jetuṁ sahajam iti, sā tasya bhrāntiḥ. Pūrvam api mahā-mahā yuddhāni abhavan; teṣu Karṇaḥ eṣāṁ Kauravāṇāṁ āśrayadātā kuto na abhavat?
Sañjaya sprach: Wenn Karna meint, es sei leicht, Arjuna zu besiegen, sobald er im Kampf mit erhobenem Bogen dasteht, so ist das sein Irrwahn. Auch früher hat es große Kriege gegeben; warum aber vermochte Karna in jenen Krisen nicht, diesen Kauravas wahrer Beschützer und Zuflucht zu sein?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Boastful confidence must be tested against past conduct and proven capacity. Ethical judgment in war requires realism: true strength is shown by consistent protection and responsibility, not by claims of easy victory.
Sanjaya evaluates Karna’s confidence about defeating Arjuna. He challenges Karna’s assumption by recalling earlier great conflicts and asking why Karna did not then serve as the decisive protector of the Kauravas—implying that Arjuna is not an opponent to be dismissed.