Shloka 21
भीष्मपातने कर्णविलापः | Karṇa’s Lament upon Seeing Bhīṣma Fallen
को हार्जुनं योधयितु त्वदन्य: पार्थिवो5हति,“आपके सिवा दूसरा कौन राजा अर्जुनसे युद्ध कर सकता है? मनीषी पुरुष जिनके दिव्य कर्मोंका बखान करते हैं, जो मानवेतर प्राणियों--असुरों तथा दैत्योंसे भी संग्राम कर चुके हैं, त्रिनेत्रधारी महात्मा भगवान् शंकरके साथ भी जिन्होंने युद्ध किया है और उनसे वह उत्तम वर प्राप्त किया है, जो अजितेन्द्रिय पुरुषोंके लिये सर्वथा दुर्लभ है, जिन्हें पहले आप भी जीत नहीं सके हैं, उन्हें आज दूसरा कौन युद्धमें जीत सकता है?
ko hārjunaṃ yodhayituṃ tvadanyaḥ pārthivo ’rhati? manīṣiṇaḥ puruṣā yasya divyakarmāṇi varṇayanti; yo mānavetaraiḥ prāṇibhiḥ—asuraiś ca daityaiś ca—saṃgrāmaṃ kṛtavān; tri-netradhāriṇā mahātmanā bhagavatā śaṅkareṇa sārdhaṃ yuddhaṃ kṛtavān; tataś ca sa uttamaṃ varaṃ prāptavān, yo ’jitendriyaiḥ puruṣaiḥ sarvathā durlabhaḥ; yaṃ pūrvaṃ tvam api jetuṃ na śakto ’si—tam adya kaḥ paraḥ saṃgrāme jetum arhati?
Sañjaya said: “Who among kings, other than you, is fit to fight Arjuna? The wise celebrate his divine deeds. He has battled non-human beings—Asuras and Daityas; he even fought the great Lord Śaṅkara, the Three-eyed one, and from him obtained an excellent boon—something altogether rare for men who have not conquered their senses. Even you could not defeat him before; who else today could overcome him in war?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial success is portrayed as grounded not only in strength but in extraordinary merit and divine sanction; the verse also contrasts true excellence with lack of self-mastery, noting that certain divine attainments are rare for those who have not conquered their senses.
Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra, emphasizing that Arjuna is uniquely formidable—renowned by the wise, victorious over Asuras and Daityas, and even proven against Śiva—therefore questioning who besides a great warrior like Karna could even be considered fit to face him.