Shloka 21
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
कर्ण जो ऐसा समझता है कि युद्धमें धनुष उठाये हुए अर्जुनको जीत लेना सहज है, वह उसकी भूल है। पहले भी तो बड़े-बड़े युद्ध हो चुके हैं। उनमें कर्ण इन कौरवोंका आश्रयदाता क्यों न हो सका?
Karṇa yo evaṁ samajhate yuddhe dhanuṣ-uddhṛtaṁ Arjunaṁ jetuṁ sahajam iti, sā tasya bhrāntiḥ. Pūrvam api mahā-mahā yuddhāni abhavan; teṣu Karṇaḥ eṣāṁ Kauravāṇāṁ āśrayadātā kuto na abhavat?
Sanjaya said: If Karna imagines it will be easy to defeat Arjuna when he stands in battle with bow raised, that is his delusion. Great wars have happened before; yet in those crises, why was Karna unable to become the true protector and refuge of these Kauravas?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Boastful confidence must be tested against past conduct and proven capacity. Ethical judgment in war requires realism: true strength is shown by consistent protection and responsibility, not by claims of easy victory.
Sanjaya evaluates Karna’s confidence about defeating Arjuna. He challenges Karna’s assumption by recalling earlier great conflicts and asking why Karna did not then serve as the decisive protector of the Kauravas—implying that Arjuna is not an opponent to be dismissed.