Shloka 25
महारथ: समाख्यात: सर्वयुद्धविशारद: । धनुर्धराणां प्रवर: सर्वेषामेकपूरुष:,जो सम्पूर्ण युद्धकी कलामें कुशल, विख्यात महारथी, धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ तथा सब शत्रुओंमें प्रधान पुरुष था, जिसे पुत्रसहित धृतराष्ट्रने तुम्हारा सामना करनेके लिये ही सम्मानपूर्वक रखा था, वह महाबली राधापुत्र कर्ण तुम्हारे द्वारा कैसे मारा गया?
mahārathaḥ samākhyātaḥ sarva-yuddha-viśāradaḥ | dhanurdharāṇāṁ pravaraḥ sarveṣām eka-pūruṣaḥ | yaḥ sampūrṇa-yuddha-kalāyāṁ kuśalaḥ vikhyāta-mahārathī dhanurdharāṇāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ sarva-śatrūṇāṁ pradhāna-pūruṣaḥ ca | yaṁ putra-sahitaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ tava samāgamaṁ prati eva sammāna-pūrvakaṁ nyadhāt | sa mahābalī rādheyaḥ karṇaḥ tvayā kathaṁ hataḥ ?
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “He was renowned as a great chariot-warrior, skilled in every mode of battle; the foremost among archers, a single champion who stood pre-eminent against all foes. Fully trained in the complete art of war, celebrated everywhere, and honored by Dhṛtarāṣṭra—together with his sons—specifically to confront you: how was that mighty Rādheya, Karṇa, slain by you?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of war: even the most celebrated warrior can fall, prompting reflection on how victory occurs—through skill, circumstance, strategy, and the complex workings of dharma in a conflict where ideals and necessities collide.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions how Karṇa—renowned as an unmatched archer and honored by Dhṛtarāṣṭra to face the Pāṇḍavas—could have been killed by the addressed warrior (contextually, Arjuna), emphasizing Karṇa’s stature and the surprising nature of his defeat.