Shloka 44
कर्ण पुरस्कृत्य विदुर्हि सर्वे तवास्त्रमस्त्रैविनिपात्यमानम् । यया धृत्या निहतं तामसास्त्र युगे युगे राक्षसाश्चापि घोरा:
karṇaṃ puraskṛtya vidur hi sarve tavāstram astrair vinipātyamānam | yayā dhṛtyā nihataṃ tāmasāstraṃ yuge yuge rākṣasāś cāpi ghorāḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Todos ellos saben bien que, con Karṇa puesto al frente, tus proyectiles están siendo abatidos por contra-proyectiles. Con esa misma firmeza fue destruida antaño el arma Tāmasa, oscura y engañosa; y, era tras era, incluso los terribles Rākṣasas fueron también vencidos».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dhṛti—steadfast resolve—as a power that can neutralize even dark, delusive forces (tāmasa weapons). Ethically, it suggests that disciplined firmness and clear purpose can overcome fearsome, chaotic threats, not merely brute force.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the opposing warriors recognize how, even with Karṇa leading, the Kaurava side’s missiles are being countered and brought down by enemy weapons. He recalls the earlier destruction of a Tāmasa weapon and the repeated defeat of dreadful Rākṣasas as a comparison for such overcoming.