Shloka 46
Drupada’s Putrakāmeṣṭi: The Sacrificial Birth of Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Kṛṣṇā
पाण्डवोंकी व्यासजीसे भेंट धृष्टद्युम्नकी घोषणा स हि सृष्टो मघवता शक्तिहेतोर्महात्मना । कर्णस्याप्रतिवीर्यस्य प्रतियोद्धा महारथ:,महामना इन्द्रने अनुपम पराक्रमी कर्णकी शक्तिका आघात सहन करनेके लिये घटोत्कचकी सृष्टि की थी। वह कर्णके सम्मुख युद्ध करनेमें समर्थ महारथी वीर था
sa hi sṛṣṭo maghavatā śakti-hetoḥ mahātmanā | karṇasyāprati-vīryasya pratiyoddhā mahārathaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Indeed, that great-souled Maghavat (Indra) created him for the sake of the Śakti—so that he might stand as a counter-champion, a mighty chariot-warrior, against Karṇa whose prowess was deemed unmatched. He was brought into being to endure the blow of Karṇa’s Śakti and thereby protect the larger cause of the Pāṇḍavas in the war.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power in war is often met with deliberate countermeasures—sometimes even divinely arranged—suggesting that victory and survival depend not only on individual valor but also on larger designs, protective strategies, and the ethical aim of safeguarding one’s side.
Vaiśampāyana explains that a formidable warrior was created by Indra specifically to serve as a fitting opponent to Karṇa and, crucially, to absorb or withstand the impact of Karṇa’s Śakti weapon, thereby neutralizing a decisive threat in the coming conflict.