Shloka 122
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
त्वं हि कृष्णाच्च कर्णाच्च फाल्गुनाच्च विशेषत: । विशिष्टो राजशार्दूल नास्ति तत्र विचारणा,नृपश्रेष्ठ) आप श्रीकृष्णसे, कर्णसे और अर्जुनसे भी श्रेष्ठ हैं, इसमें कोई अन्यथा विचार करनेकी आवश्यकता नहीं है
tvaṃ hi kṛṣṇāc ca karṇāc ca phālgunāc ca viśeṣataḥ | viśiṣṭo rājaśārdūla nāsti tatra vicāraṇā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Indeed, O tiger among kings, you are superior—even to Kṛṣṇa, to Karṇa, and especially to Phālguna (Arjuna). On this there is no room for doubt or further deliberation.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the rhetorical force of an elder’s authoritative judgment in war-counsel: decisive confidence is presented as necessary for leadership, and the addressed king is urged to accept a clear assessment without wavering in doubt.
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) speaks to a king on the battlefield context of the Karṇa Parva, offering emphatic praise by ranking him above even famed figures—Kṛṣṇa, Karṇa, and Arjuna—thereby strengthening resolve and asserting an unquestionable evaluation.