Shloka 23
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
सुपर्ण पतगश्रेष्ठ वैनतेयं तरस्विनम् । भोगीवाह्नयसे पाते कर्ण पार्थ धनंजयम्,कर्ण! जैसे कोई सर्प अपने पतनके लिये ही पक्षियोंमें श्रेष्ठ वेगशशाली विनतानन्दन गरुडका आह्वान करता है, उसी प्रकार तुम भी अपने विनाशके लिये ही कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनको ललकार रहे हो
suparṇa-patagaśreṣṭhaṁ vainateyaṁ tarasvinam | bhogī vāhnyase pāte karṇa pārtha-dhanañjayam ||
Sañjaya said: “O Karṇa, just as a serpent, seeking its own downfall, calls upon the swift Vainateya—Garuḍa, the foremost of birds—so too are you challenging Pārtha Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), as though inviting your own destruction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reckless pride and misjudgment of an opponent can become self-destructive; the verse frames Karṇa’s challenge as an invitation to his own ruin, using a vivid moral metaphor.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle events, cautions that Karṇa’s act of calling out Arjuna is like a serpent summoning Garuḍa—an image that signals impending defeat for the challenger.