Shloka 1
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Saṃvāda: Anuśocana, Nimittāni, and Vidura’s Warning
अपन का बछ। ] अतपकडफा<ज द्विसप्ततितमो< ध्याय: शत्रुओंको मारनेके लिये उद्यत हुए भीमको युधिष्ठटिरका शान्त करना कर्ण उवाच या नः श्रुता मनुष्येषु स्त्रियो रूपेण सम्मता: । तासामेतादृशं कर्म न कस्याश्वन शुश्रुम
karṇa uvāca | yā naḥ śrutā manuṣyeṣu striyo rūpeṇa sammatāḥ | tāsām etādṛśaṃ karma na kasyāśvana śuśruma |
Dijo Karna: «Entre los hombres hemos oído hablar de mujeres celebradas por su hermosura; pero jamás hemos oído que alguna de ellas haya realizado una hazaña como ésta».
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how extraordinary actions can redefine reputation beyond conventional measures like beauty or social acclaim; it also shows how praise in a royal assembly can be used rhetorically to steer moral judgment.
In the Sabha (royal court) setting, Karna comments with astonishment that even among women famed for beauty, he has never heard of anyone performing such a deed—framing the act as unprecedented and influencing how the court interprets it.