Shloka 21
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
शखव्रातै: सुनिशितै: सुतीक्ष्पै: कड़कपत्रिभि: । (करमाहारयामास जित्वा सर्वानरीस्तथा ।) दुर्योधनस्य वृद्धयर्थ राधेयो रथिनां वर:,घातित: पाण्डवै: शूरै: समरे वीर्यशालिभि: । रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ जिस राधापुत्रने दुर्योधनकी वृद्धिके लिये कंकपत्रयुक्त, तीखी धारवाले पैने बाण-समूहोंद्वारा समस्त शत्रुओंको परास्त करके उनसे कर वसूल किया था, जो दिव्यास्त्रोंका ज्ञाता, उत्तम अस्त्रोंका जानकार और हमारी सेनाओंका रक्षक था, वह महातेजस्वी धर्मात्मा वैकर्तन कर्ण अपने शूरवीर एवं बलशाली शत्रु पाण्डवोंद्वारा कैसे मारा गया?
Vaiśampāyana uvāca — śakhavrātaiḥ suniśitaiḥ sutīkṣṇaiḥ kaṅkapatribhiḥ | karam āhārayāmāsa jitvā sarvān arīs tathā | duryodhanasya vṛddhyarthaṃ rādheyo rathināṃ varaḥ, ghātitaḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ śūraiḥ samare vīryaśālibhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: With clusters of arrows—well-whetted, razor-sharp, and fletched with heron-feathers—Rādheya, the foremost of charioteers, had conquered all enemies and exacted tribute, all for the increase of Duryodhana’s power. How, then, was that mighty, righteous Vikarṭana Karṇa—knower of divine missiles, master of excellent weapons, and protector of our forces—slain in battle by the heroic and powerful Pāṇḍavas?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between worldly merit—prowess, loyalty, and service to a king—and the harsh verdict of war: even the most capable protector can fall. It invites reflection on how power gained through conquest and tribute is unstable, and how claims of righteousness and heroism do not guarantee victory when larger forces of destiny and dharma unfold.
Vaiśampāyana describes Karṇa’s earlier achievements for Duryodhana—defeating enemies and collecting tribute with deadly, feather-fletched arrows—and then poses the pressing question: how could such a formidable warrior, celebrated as the army’s protector and master of divine weapons, be killed by the Pāṇḍavas in battle?