Shloka 42
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
सर्वायुधमहामात्रं विजयं नाम तद्धनुः । इन्द्रार्थ प्रियकामेन निर्मित विश्वकर्मणा,मेरे धनुषका नाम विजय है। यह समस्त आयुधोंमें श्रेष्ठ है। इसे इन्द्रका प्रिय चाहनेवाले विश्वकर्माने उन्हींके लिये बनाया था
sarvāyudha-mahāmātraṃ vijayaṃ nāma tad dhanuḥ | indrārtha-priya-kāmena nirmitaṃ viśvakarmaṇā ||
Karna said: “This bow is named Vijaya. It is pre-eminent among all weapons. It was fashioned by Viśvakarman for Indra, out of a desire to please him.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that extraordinary martial instruments gain authority from their lineage—divine maker and intended patron—and that intention (the wish to please) can be a driving force behind acts of creation, even in a context as morally fraught as war.
Karna identifies and praises his bow ‘Vijaya,’ declaring it supreme among weapons and stating its origin: it was crafted by the divine artisan Viśvakarman for Indra, emphasizing the bow’s exalted provenance.