Shloka 226
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
बाद्यां तेजस्तदाजय्यं मन्यमानो महारथ: । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! अर्जुनकी यह बात सुनकर महारथी कर्ण ब्राह्मतेजको अजेय मानता हुआ उस समय युद्ध छोड़कर हट गया
vaiśampāyana uvāca — janamejaya! arjunasya vacanaṃ śrutvā mahārathaḥ karṇaḥ brāhma-tejasaḥ ajeyatvaṃ manyamānaḥ tadā yuddhāt nivavṛte.
Vaiśampāyana said: O Janamejaya, hearing Arjuna’s words, the great chariot-warrior Karṇa—regarding the spiritual power of a brāhmaṇa as unconquerable—then withdrew from the fight. The moment underscores an ethical boundary in warfare: martial prowess yields before the perceived inviolability of sacred ascetic power.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a foremost warrior recognizes limits set by dharma: sacred spiritual power (brāhma-tejas) is treated as inviolable, and prudence/restraint can be more righteous than persistence in combat.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to Janamejaya that Karṇa, after hearing Arjuna’s statement, judges the brāhmaṇa’s spiritual potency to be unbeatable and therefore withdraws from the battle at that moment.