Shloka 21
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
स ते विक्रमशौटीरो रणे पार्थ विजेष्यति । कर्ण: प्रहरतां श्रेष्ठ: सर्वाश्षारीन् महारथ:,महारथी कर्ण योद्धाओं में श्रेष्ठ और अपने पराक्रमपर गर्व रखनेवाला है। वह रणभूमिमें अर्जुन तथा आपके अन्य सब शत्रुओंपर अवश्य विजयी होगा
sa te vikramaśauṭīro raṇe pārtha vijeṣyati | karṇaḥ praharatāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvāñ śatrūn mahārathaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “That Karṇa—proud of his prowess and famed for his martial daring—will conquer Pārtha (Arjuna) in battle. The great chariot-warrior Karṇa, foremost among those who strike, will surely overcome all your enemies.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the classical kṣatriya valuation of martial excellence and reputation: Karṇa is praised as foremost among attackers and is predicted to prevail. Ethically, it also shows how confidence, fame, and prophetic assertions can shape decisions in a dharma-conflicted war, even when outcomes ultimately depend on wider moral and cosmic factors in the epic.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the epic events, reports a confident assessment of Karṇa’s battlefield superiority: Karṇa is described as a great chariot-warrior who will defeat Pārtha (Arjuna) and overcome the enemies addressed as “your” (the listener’s side). It functions as a declaration of Karṇa’s feared prowess and the looming confrontation with Arjuna.