Shloka 49
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
कर्णो वैकर्तन: सूत प्रत्यपद्यत् किमुत्तरम् । धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--सूत! काल, अन्तक और यमके समान क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनको देखकर वैकर्तन कर्णने उन्हें किस प्रकार उत्तर दिया? (कैसे उनका सामना किया) ।। ४८ ६ || यो हास्पर्धत पार्थेन नित्यमेव महारथ:
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇo vaikatanaḥ sūta pratyapadyat kim uttaram |
dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa pṛṣṭaḥ—sūta! kālāntaka-yama-samāna-krodha-bhareṇa arjunena dṛṣṭvā vaikatanaḥ karṇaḥ kathaṃ tam uttaram adāt (kathaṃ vā tasya sāmānaṃ cakāra) ||
yo hy aspardhata pārthena nityam eva mahārathaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra bertanya: “Wahai Sūta, melihat Arjuna menyala oleh amarah laksana Kāla, Antaka, dan Yama, jawaban apakah yang diberikan Karṇa putra Vikarṭana? Ia adalah mahāratha yang senantiasa menantang Pārtha.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield ethics through the lens of kṣatriya rivalry: even when an opponent appears as terrifying as cosmic death (Kāla/Antaka/Yama), a warrior’s duty is to stand firm and answer the challenge with courage and resolve rather than retreat.
Sañjaya reports Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious question: seeing Arjuna furious and deadly, how did Karṇa respond and face him? The closing phrase highlights that Karṇa had long been Arjuna’s constant rival, setting up their confrontation.