ते पञ्च पाञउ्चालरथप्रवीरा वैकर्तनं कर्णमभिद्रवन्त: । तस्माद् रथाच्चयावयितु न शेकु- ्ैर्यात् कृतात्मानमिवेन्द्रियार्था:
te pañca pāñcālaratha-pravīrā vaikartanaṃ karṇam abhidravantāḥ | tasmād rathāc cyāvayituṃ na śekuḥ yathā kṛtātmānam ivendriyārthāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Lima pahlawan terkemuka di antara para kesatria kereta Pāñcāla menyerbu Vaikartana Karṇa; namun mereka tak mampu menggoyahkannya hingga jatuh dari keretanya. Demikian pula, objek-objek indra—bunyi, sentuhan, dan lainnya—tak dapat, dengan kekuatannya, mengguncang seorang yang menaklukkan diri, yang telah menundukkan pikirannya.
संजय उवाच
The verse uses a battlefield image to teach inner discipline: a person who has mastered the mind (kṛtātmā) is not easily shaken by sense-objects, just as Karṇa remains undislodged despite fierce assaults.
Five leading Pāñcāla chariot-heroes rush to attack Karṇa, but even with their combined effort they fail to dislodge him from his chariot; Sañjaya frames this as a comparison to the steadiness of a self-controlled yogin.