Shloka 69

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

पुमानाधिरयथे: स्थातुं कश्चित्‌ प्रमुखतो $हति । अपि स्यान्मेदिनी हीना सोमसूर्यप्रभांशुभि:

Transliteration

pumān ādhiratheḥ sthātuṁ kaścit pramukhato 'rhati | api syān medinī hīnā somasūryaprabhāṁśubhiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Who among men could stand face to face against the son of Adhiratha, Karṇa? Truly, the earth itself would seem bereft of the radiance of the Moon and the Sun, if such a warrior were left without a worthy foe.”

Word by Word

पुमान्a man

आधिरथिःAdhirathi (Karna)

यथाas, just as

स्थातुम्to stand, to remain

कश्चित्someone, anyone

प्रमुखतःin front, from the front

अर्हतिis able, is fit, can

अपिeven, also

स्यात्might be, could be

मेदिनीthe earth

हीनाdevoid (of), lacking

सोम-सूर्य-प्रभा-अंशुभिःby the rays of the moon and sun’s radiance

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Karna (Ādhirathi/son of Adhiratha)

Earth (Medinī)

Moon (Soma)

Sun (Sūrya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of a warrior: true martial excellence demands a worthy counterpart. It also reflects the epic’s kṣatriya ethic—valor is measured not merely by victory, but by the capacity to meet formidable opposition directly.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Karṇa Parva, offers a hyperbolic encomium of Karna’s might, implying that scarcely anyone can confront him head-on; the comparison to the Moon and Sun’s rays heightens the sense of cosmic-scale brilliance and dread surrounding his presence in battle.