Shloka 6
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
कुण्डलाभ्यां च दिव्याभ्यां वियुक्त: सततं घृणी । अभिशापाच्च रामस्य ब्राह्मणस्य च भाषणात्,यह कर्ण युद्धभूमिमें न तो अतिरथी है और न रथी ही कहलानेयोग्य है, क्योंकि यह मूर्ख अपने सहज कवच तथा दिव्य कुण्डलोंसे हीन हो चुका है। यह दूसरोंके प्रति सदा घृणाका भाव रखता है। परशुरामजीके अभिशापसे, ब्राह्मणकी शापोक्तिसे तथा विजयसाधक उपर्युक्त उपकरणोंको खो देनेसे मेरी दृष्टिमें यह कर्ण अर्धरथी है। अर्जुनसे भिड़नेपर यह कदापि जीवित नहीं बच सकता
kuṇḍalābhyāṃ ca divyābhyāṃ viyuktaḥ satataṃ ghṛṇī | abhiśāpāc ca rāmasya brāhmaṇasya ca bhāṣaṇāt ||
Bhīṣma said: “Deprived of his two divine earrings, and ever inclined to contempt, Karṇa stands diminished. By the curse of Rāma (Paraśurāma) and by the utterance of a brāhmaṇa’s curse, his prowess is impaired; thus, in my judgment, he is no longer to be counted among the foremost chariot-warriors. When he closes with Arjuna in battle, he will not escape with his life.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and reputation in war are not merely personal claims; they depend on integrity, rightful qualifications, and the moral consequences of one’s actions. Curses here symbolize ethical causality: deception and contempt invite downfall, and even great skill can be undone when dharma is compromised.
In the Udyoga Parva, Bhīṣma assesses Karṇa’s true battle-worthiness. He notes Karṇa’s loss of his divine earrings and recalls the curses of Paraśurāma and a brāhmaṇa, concluding that Karṇa is fatally disadvantaged and will not survive a direct encounter with Arjuna.