Shloka 23
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
दुर्योधनस्तदा राजजन्नार्ष्पशृद्धिमभाषत । एष कार्ष्णिमहाबाहो द्वितीय इव फाल्गुन:,भरतवंशी नरेश! पूर्णिमाके दिन वायुके थपेड़ोंसे उद्वेलित हुए समुद्रकी गर्जनाके समान आपकी सेनाका वह भयंकर चीत्कार सुनकर उस समय दुर्योधनने राक्षस ऋष्यशंगपुत्र अलम्बुषसे इस प्रकार कहा--“महाबाहो! यह अर्जुनका पुत्र द्वितीय अर्जुनके समान पराक्रमी है
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanas tadā rājan nārṣaśṛṅgim abhāṣata | eṣa kārṣṇir mahābāho dvitīya iva phālgunaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, saat itu Duryodhana berbicara kepada Alambuṣa, putra Ṛśyaśṛṅga: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, Kārṣṇi ini laksana Phālguna (Arjuna) yang kedua.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a recurring Mahābhārata ethic: in war, leaders judge allies and opponents by demonstrated capability, and such recognition can drive strategic choices. It also reflects the kṣatriya-world’s emphasis on valor, where moral tension arises when human worth is reduced to battlefield effectiveness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, observing the battle situation, speaks to Alambuṣa and points out that Kārṣṇi (a prominent Yādava warrior, commonly identified as Sātyaki) is as formidable as Arjuna—‘a second Phālguna’—thereby marking him as a major threat.