Shloka 19
Nārada’s Account of the Kaliṅga Svayaṃvara: Duryodhana’s Seizure and Karṇa’s Escort
लाघवाद् व्याकुलीकृत्य कर्ण: प्रहरतां वर: । हतसूतांश्व भूयिष्ठानवजिग्ये नराधिपान्
lāghavād vyākulīkṛtya karṇaḥ praharatāṃ varaḥ | hatasūtānśva bhūyiṣṭhān avajigye narādhipān ||
Dijo Nārada: Con su combate veloz y ágil, Karṇa—el más eminente entre los que asestan golpes—sumió al enemigo en la confusión. Tras dar muerte a muchos aurigas y caballos, venció una y otra vez a los reyes. El verso muestra cómo la pura destreza marcial puede dominar un campo de batalla, y recuerda implícitamente que la victoria suele apoyarse en destruir las fuerzas de sostén (conductores y corceles), no sólo en enfrentar a los soberanos cara a cara.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that dominance in conflict can arise from speed, precision, and disruption of an opponent’s support system (charioteers and horses). Ethically, it hints that outcomes in war are shaped as much by tactical destruction of enabling structures as by direct confrontation with leaders.
Nārada describes Karṇa’s performance in battle: through swift attacks he confuses the opposing side, kills many charioteers and horses, and thereby repeatedly defeats numerous kings.