Shloka 144
तमिन्द्रो ब्राह्मणो भूत्वा पुत्रार्थे भूतभावन: । ययाचे कुण्डले वीर॑ कवचं च सहाड्गजजम्,भूतभावन इन्द्रने अपने पुत्र अर्जुनके हितके लिये ब्राह्मणका रूप धारण करके वीर कर्णसे दोनों कुण्डल तथा उसके शरीरके साथ ही उत्पन्न हुआ कवच माँगा
tam indro brāhmaṇo bhūtvā putrārthe bhūtabhāvanaḥ | yayāce kuṇḍale vīra kavacaṃ ca sahāḍgajam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: For the sake of his son, Indra—the benefactor of beings—assumed the guise of a brāhmaṇa and begged from the heroic Karṇa his two earrings and the armor that had been born together with his body.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical complexity of dharma: even a god may employ disguise for a perceived higher aim (protecting his son), while a hero’s virtue is measured by steadfast generosity and honor under pressure. It invites reflection on whether ends justify means and how personal duty can conflict with fairness.
Indra, seeking to weaken Karṇa and thereby aid his son Arjuna, takes the form of a brāhmaṇa mendicant and asks Karṇa to give away his natural earrings and body-born armor—items that make Karṇa exceptionally formidable.