Shloka 17
गाण्डीवमुद्यम्य भवांश्क्रं चाहं सुदर्शनम् । न शक्तौ स्वो रणे जेतुं तथायुक्त नरर्षभम्,तुम गाण्डीव उठाकर और मैं सुदर्शनचक्र लेकर दोनों एक साथ जाते तो भी समरांगणमें कवच-कुण्डलोंसे युक्त नरश्रेष्ठ कर्णको नहीं जीत सकते थे
gāṇḍīvam udyamya bhavāṁś cakraṁ cāhaṁ sudarśanam | na śaktau svau raṇe jetuṁ tathāyuktaṁ nararṣabham ||
Vāyu said: “Even if you, raising the Gāṇḍīva, and I, bearing the Sudarśana discus, were to advance together, we still would not have the power in battle to defeat that bull among men—Karna—so long as he stood protected by his armor and earrings.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that martial success depends not only on personal prowess but also on the protective power of divine endowments (like Karna’s armor and earrings). It highlights a moral-cosmic dimension to warfare: when a warrior is sustained by extraordinary protections, ordinary measures—even by great allies with famed weapons—may be insufficient.
Vāyu speaks about Karna’s battlefield superiority while he still possesses his natural armor and earrings. He states that even a combined advance—one wielding the Gāṇḍīva and the other bearing the Sudarśana discus—would not be able to defeat Karna so equipped, underscoring Karna’s near-invincibility at that stage.