Shloka 19
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
यत्र यत्र हि गच्छामि कर्णाद् भीतो धनंजय । तत्र तत्र हि पश्यामि कर्णमेवाग्रत: स्थितम्
yatra yatra hi gacchāmi karṇād bhīto dhanaṃjaya | tatra tatra hi paśyāmi karṇam evāgrataḥ sthitam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Wherever I go, O Dhanaṃjaya, frightened of Karṇa, there—again and again—I see Karṇa himself standing right before me.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can dominate perception: when the mind is seized by anxiety, the feared opponent appears everywhere, as if unavoidable. In a dharmic-war context, it underscores the need for steadiness and discernment so that duty is not distorted by panic.
Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Arjuna, confessing that wherever he turns he feels threatened by Karṇa and imagines Karṇa standing before him. It conveys the intensity of Karṇa’s presence on the battlefield and the psychological pressure on the Pāṇḍava leadership.