Shloka 60
तथेन्द्रलोके निजघान दैत्या- नसंख्येयान् कालकेयांश्व सर्वान् । लेभे शड्खं देवदत्तं सम तत्र को नाम तेनाभ्यधिक: पृथिव्याम्
tathendraloke nijaghāna daityān asaṅkhyeyān kālakeyāṁś ca sarvān | lebhe śaṅkhaṁ devadattaṁ samaṁ tatra ko nāma tenābhyadhikaḥ pṛthivyām ||
Karna said: “So too, in Indra’s own world, he slew countless Daityas—all the Kālakeyas as well. There he obtained the conch named Devadatta. Who on earth could be superior to him?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how heroic reputation is grounded in demonstrable deeds and recognized emblems: the slaying of formidable foes and the receiving of a famed insignia (the conch Devadatta) become public markers of excellence, used here to argue that such merit is hard to surpass.
Karna, speaking in the midst of the war narrative, cites a celebrated exploit associated with Arjuna—victories in Indra’s realm against Daityas/Kālakeyas and the obtaining of the conch Devadatta—to assert that no one on earth can be considered superior to him.