Shloka 7
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
करणानां वियोगाच्च तेन मे<र्थरथो मतः । नैष फाल्गुनमासाद्य पुनर्जीवन् विमोक्ष्यते,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
karaṇānāṁ viyogāc ca tena me 'rtharatho mataḥ | naiṣa phālgunam āsādya punar jīvan vimokṣyate ||
Bhishma said: “Because he has been separated from the means that make a warrior effective, I regard him as only a half-charioteer (a diminished fighter). When he comes up against Phalguna (Arjuna), he will not be released alive again.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and status in dharmic warfare depend not only on skill but on the sustaining causes behind it—right conduct, rightful supports, and the consequences of one’s actions. When those enabling factors are lost, one’s capacity to prevail collapses, and moral causality (including curses incurred) bears fruit.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Bhishma evaluates Karna’s true fighting capacity. He declares that, due to the loss of crucial enabling protections and supports, Karna is effectively diminished and will not survive an encounter with Arjuna (Phalguna).