Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
तपस्तेपे परमकं येनातुष्यत् पितामह: । तारकाक्षका महाबली वीर पुत्र “हरि” नामसे प्रसिद्ध था, उसने बड़ी भारी तपस्या की, जिससे ब्रह्माजी उसपर संतुष्ट हो गये
tapas tepe paramakaṃ yenātuṣyat pitāmahaḥ | tārakākṣakaḥ mahābalī vīraḥ putraḥ “hari” nāmasa prasiddhaḥ āsīt; sa mahātapasā brahmāṇam atuṣayat |
Duryodhana dit : «Il y eut un héros d’une grande puissance, fils de Tārakākṣa, célèbre sous le nom de “Hari”. Il entreprit une austérité d’une rigueur extrême, par laquelle le Grand-Père —Brahmā— fut satisfait de lui.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Severe tapas can earn divine satisfaction and extraordinary power, but the ethical implication is that such power must be governed by dharma; otherwise spiritual merit can become a means to intensify adharma and conflict.
Duryodhana recounts a precedent: a renowned, powerful hero named Hari, the son of Tārakākṣa, performed intense austerities that pleased Brahmā—setting up a context of boons or exceptional strength gained through ascetic practice.