Shloka 32
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
को हि राधासुतं कर्ण शक्तो योधयितुं रणे । अन्यत्र रामाद् द्रोणाद् वा पाण्डवाद् वा किरीटिन:,“परशुराम, द्रोण अथवा पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनके सिवा दूसरा ऐसा कौन है, जो युद्धमें राधानन्दन कर्णका सामना कर सके
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ko hi rādhāsutaṃ karṇaṃ śaktaḥ yodhayituṃ raṇe | anyatra rāmād droṇād vā pāṇḍavād vā kirīṭinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Qui donc est capable d’affronter au combat Karṇa, fils de Rādhā—sinon Rāma (Paraśurāma), ou Droṇa, ou Arjuna le Pāṇḍava, porteur du diadème ?» La parole souligne la redoutable vaillance de Karṇa, tout en rappelant que seules de rares cimes d’excellence guerrière et de dharma discipliné peuvent faire face à une telle puissance sans sombrer dans la violence brute.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power in war is rare and must be met by equally disciplined excellence; the verse frames true martial superiority as something recognized by standards (Paraśurāma, Droṇa, Arjuna) rather than by boast, implying an ethical hierarchy of capability within kṣatriya-dharma.
Vaiśampāyana highlights Karṇa’s near-unmatched strength by asking rhetorically who could face him in battle, then naming only three exceptions—Paraśurāma, Droṇa, and Arjuna—thereby elevating Karṇa’s stature while situating him among the greatest warriors.