Shloka 38
संजय उवाच आशा बलवती राजन पुत्रस्य तव याभवत् | हते भीष्मे च द्रोणे च कर्णो जेष्यति पाण्डवान्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! आपके पुत्रके मनमें जो यह प्रबल आशा हो गयी थी कि भीष्म और द्रोणके मारे जानेपर कर्ण पाण्डवोंको जीत लेगा, वही आशा मनमें लेकर उस समय उसने कर्णसे इस प्रकार कहा--'सूतपुत्र! अर्जुन तुम्हारे सामने खड़े होकर कभी युद्ध करना नहीं चाहते हैं!
sañjaya uvāca | āśā balavatī rājan putrasya tava yābhavat | hate bhīṣme ca droṇe ca karṇo jeṣyati pāṇḍavān |
Sañjaya dijo: «Oh rey, tu hijo llegó a abrigar una esperanza poderosa: que, una vez muertos Bhīṣma y Droṇa, Karṇa vencería sin duda a los Pāṇḍavas. Aferrado a esa misma expectativa, se dirigió entonces a Karṇa de este modo: “Oh hijo de auriga, Arjuna no desea combatir cuando está frente a ti, cara a cara”.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful hope—especially when rooted in partial understanding—can shape decisions in war and leadership. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son clings to the belief that removing great commanders (Bhīṣma and Droṇa) guarantees victory through Karṇa, revealing the ethical danger of self-deception and overconfidence amid adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, after Bhīṣma and Droṇa have fallen, places strong confidence in Karṇa’s ability to defeat the Pāṇḍavas. With that hope, Duryodhana speaks to Karṇa, asserting that Arjuna does not wish to fight him directly—an attempt to bolster Karṇa and unsettle the enemy through rhetoric.