Shloka 53
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
को हि शक्तो रणे कर्ण विधुन्वानं महद् धनुः,सिंहके समान वेगशाली पुरुषसिंह कर्ण जब अपना विशाल धनुष कँपाता हुआ युद्धस्थलमें दिव्यास्त्र तथा भयंकर बाण छोड़ रहा हो, उस समय उसे कौन जीत सकता था?
ko hi śakto raṇe karṇa vidhunvānaṁ mahad dhanuḥ | siṁhake samāna-vegāśālī puruṣa-siṁha karṇa yadā yuddha-sthale divyāstrāṇi tathā bhayaṅkarān bāṇān muñcan, tadā taṁ kaḥ jayet ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Who, indeed, could prevail in battle over Karṇa when he was shaking his mighty bow—lion-like in speed and force—and, on the field of war, was releasing celestial missiles and dreadful arrows? At such a moment, who could conquer him?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how overwhelming martial excellence can appear in war: when a warrior’s skill, courage, and weaponry reach their peak, ordinary opposition seems powerless. Ethically, it also hints at the epic’s tension between human effort and the larger forces of destiny that ultimately decide victory.
Vaiśampāyana describes Karṇa at a climactic moment in battle, vigorously brandishing his great bow and launching celestial missiles and fearsome arrows. The narration heightens Karṇa’s near-invincible presence, framing him as a ‘lion among men’ whom no one seems able to defeat at that time.