Shloka 21
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
इसीलिये श्रीकृष्ण जिनके सारथि हैं, वे श्वेतवाहन अर्जुन द्रोणाचार्यको लाँच गये। यही कारण है कि मैं इसमें ट्रोणाचार्यका दोष नहीं देख रहा हूँ
tasmāt śrīkṛṣṇa-sārathayoḥ śvetavāhano 'rjunaḥ droṇācāryaṃ lañghayām āsa | etad eva kāraṇaṃ yato 'haṃ droṇācārye doṣaṃ na paśyāmi ||
Karena itulah Arjuna, sang Śvetavāhana yang kusirnya adalah Śrī Kṛṣṇa, mampu melampaui Droṇācārya. Maka, aku tidak melihat kesalahan apa pun pada Droṇa dalam hal ini.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna argues that blame should be assigned carefully: when an extraordinary advantage—here, Kṛṣṇa’s guidance—decisively shapes events, it is unjust to fault a dutiful commander like Droṇa for being outmaneuvered.
In the battle context of Droṇa Parva, Karna explains that Arjuna managed to break past Droṇa’s defenses because Kṛṣṇa drove and guided him; hence Karna refuses to interpret Droṇa’s being surpassed as a moral or strategic failing.