Shloka 20
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
धनंजय! मैं जहाँ-जहाँ भी जाता, कर्णसे भयभीत होनेके कारण सदा उसीको अपने सामने खड़ा देखता था ।। सो*<हं तेनैव वीरेण समरेष्वपलायिना । सहय: सरथ: पार्थ जित्वा जीवन् विसर्जित:,पार्थ! मैं समरभूमिमें कभी पीठ न दिखानेवाले उसी वीर कर्णके द्वारा रथ और घोड़ोंसहित परास्त करके केवल जीवित छोड़ दिया गया हूँ
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: Dhanañjaya! so ’haṁ tenaiva vīreṇa samareṣv apalāyinā, sahayaḥ sarathaḥ Pārtha, jitvā jīvan visarjitaḥ.
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)! Wherever I went, fear of Karṇa made me see him standing before me. Indeed, O Pārtha, it was that very hero—one who never turns his back in battle—who defeated me in combat, along with my chariot and horses, yet released me alive.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of steadfastness (not fleeing) alongside an ethical restraint: even after victory, a fighter may choose to spare an opponent. It also shows how fear and psychological pressure shape a leader’s experience in war.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna, confessing that Karṇa’s presence haunted him wherever he went. He recalls that Karṇa defeated him in battle—overpowering him with his chariot and horses—yet did not kill him and instead let him go alive.