Shloka 21
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
फुल्लता पड़कजेनेव वक्त्रेण विहसन् बली । आजुहाव रणे यान्तं भीममाधिरथिस्तदा,बलवान् अधिरथपुत्रने खिलते हुए कमलके समान मुखसे हँसकर जाते हुए भीमसेनको युद्धके लिये ललकारा
sañjaya uvāca | phullatā paṅkajeneva vaktreṇa vihasan balī | ājuhāva raṇe yāntaṃ bhīmam ādhirathis tadā ||
Sañjaya said: Then the mighty son of Adhiratha (Karna), smiling with a face like a fully blossomed lotus, challenged Bhīma—who was advancing into the battle—to fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of openly issuing and accepting combat challenges, while implicitly reminding the reader that outward confidence and martial splendor unfold within the ethically weighty setting of a destructive civil war.
Karna, described as powerful and smiling with a lotus-like face, calls out to Bhīma who is moving forward on the battlefield, challenging him to fight.