Shloka 28
शृगालो5पि वने कर्ण शशै: परिवृतो वसन् | मन्यते सिंहमात्मानं यावत् सिंहं न पश्यति,“कर्ण! वनमें खरगोशोंके साथ रहनेवाला गीदड़ भी जबतक सिंहको नहीं देखता, तबतक अपनेको सिंह ही मानता रहता है
śṛgālo 'pi vane karṇa śaśaiḥ parivṛto vasan | manyate siṃham ātmānaṃ yāvat siṃhaṃ na paśyati ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Oh Karṇa, hasta un chacal que vive en el bosque, rodeado de liebres, se cree un león mientras no haya visto a un león de verdad.» El dicho advierte que la falsa confianza prospera cuando falta una medida auténtica de fuerza y virtud; cuando aparece el poder genuino, la pretensión queda al descubierto.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confidence based on weak company or lack of challenge becomes delusion; true worth is tested when one meets a genuinely powerful and noble opponent. The verse cautions against pride and urges realistic self-assessment.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa with a sharp proverb: like a jackal among hares thinking itself a lion until it encounters a real lion, a warrior may overestimate himself until faced with a truly formidable adversary. It functions as a warning within the war narrative.