Shloka 22
दिव्यास्त्रविन्महातेजा: कर्णो वैकर्तनो वृष: । सेनागोपश्न स कथं शत्रुभि: परमास्त्रवित्
divyāstravinmahātejāḥ karṇo vaikartano vṛṣaḥ | senāgopaśna sa kathaṃ śatrubhiḥ paramāstravit |
Vaiśampāyana said: Karṇa—Vaikartana, the mighty and radiant hero, a master of divine missiles—was the very protector and pillar of the army. How, then, could he be overcome by enemies who were supreme in weapon-craft?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring insight that sheer power and technical mastery do not guarantee victory. In war, outcomes are shaped by dharma, prior actions, strategic circumstance, and fate; even a protector of the army can fall when these forces align against him.
Vaiśampāyana draws attention to Karṇa’s exceptional status—radiant, heroic, and skilled in divine missiles—while posing a pointed question about how such a warrior, serving as the army’s guardian, could nevertheless be brought down by enemy combatants renowned for their own supreme weapon-skill.